Investigation of temperature-related structure and optic properties of copper oxide thin films produced by sol-gel dip method

CuO nanoparticles have attracted great attention in recent years due to their superior properties in contrast to their nano-sized copper oxide volumetric states with the decrease in crystal size. High interface area, overactive surface, unusual optical, electrical, electronic and catalytic properties make these particles attractive in photovoltaic applications. In this study, electro-optic properties of CuO thin films prepared by sol-gel dip (Dip-Coating) method and kept at 300oC, 350oC, 400oC, 450oC, 500oC for 1 hour were investigated depending on temperature change. The surface morphology of the prepared thin films was determined under Atomic Force Microscope (AFM Park System XE-100E). The crystal structure of the films was examined by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and it was determined that CuO thin films showed structural changes depending on the temperature effect. The forbidden energy ranges of the samples were found to be between 1.3 and 2.1 eV in accordance with the literature.