Tuning dopant incorporation in tin oxide thin films using a methanol-water solvent for photovoltaic and water splitting applications.

ABSTRACT: Fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) thin films serve as a good substrate for photovoltaic and electrochromic devices due to their outstanding optoelectronic features. The current study probes the profound impact of systematically varying the F/Sn molar ratio over a wide range on optoelectronic properties of spray pyrolyzed FTO thin films, leading to optimization of the F/Sn ratio for the methanol-to-water solvent system (9 : 1 v/v). A comprehensive suite of characterizations reveals that all FTO samples exhibit the tetragonal SnO₂ phase with a preferred (200) orientation, while increasing the F/Sn ratio up to 2.8 (M2.8) enhances the crystallite size. Distinctive grain morphologies, including pyramidal, polygon-type, and bud-like structures, are observed across all samples. Optical tr

SUBMITTER: Zahra M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12856732 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature