Production of cuO semiconductor films by ultronic spray pyrolysis method and gas sensor applications

In this study, CuO thin films were produced on glass and ITO substrates by the ultrasonic spray pyrolysis method at different substrate temperatures with different copper sources. Some physical poperties of the films have been examined. X-ray diffraction spectra showed that CuO films are polycrystalline having monoclinic in structure. Crystallite sizes of the samples varied in the range from 17 to 29 nm depending on the deposition experimental parameters. FT-IR and Raman studies have been carried out to characterize the structural properties of the films. The morphological properties of the films have been investigated by field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM). FESEM results revealed that morphological properties of the samples depend on the copper precursor source and substrate temperatures. The materials have exhibited direct band gap characteristics and the band gap values of the samples are in the range of 1.40 – 1.70 eV. In addition, the LPG and CO gas sensing properties of CuO nanoparticles at different temperatures were investigated. Glass/ p-CuO/Au sensor was constructed and its sensing performances in target gases LPG and CO gas were investigated. The gas sensitivity tests have demonstrated that the CuO nanostructures exhibit high sensitivity to LPG and CO gas at 110 °C proving their applicability in gas sensors.