Investigation of Surface Morphology and Electrical Properties of Ti-Doped ZnO Thin Films Using Digitally Controlled Chemical Spray Pyrolysis Technique

Authors

Keywords:

ZnO, Digital controlled spray pyrolysis technique, Morphology, Solar cells, Thin films

Abstract

This study presents an investigation of the morphology and electrical properties of ZnO as well as Ti-doped ZnO thin films, utilizing a fabricated digital spray pyrolysis device at 350°C. It aims to evaluate the influence of titanium (Ti) doping on the morphology and electrical properties of ZnO thin films in order to assess their suitability for solar photovoltaic applications. Thin films of both ZnO and Ti-ZnO were prepared from extremely pure zinc acetate (Zn (CH3COO)2.2H2O) as well as titanium dioxide (TiO2) precursors. According to scanning electron microscope micrographs, the findings of both the undoped and doped films were seen to be evenly distributed across the substrates. The energy dispersive X-ray results indicated that Zn, O, and Ti were present in the films' elemental composition. The films I-V characteristics demonstrated an improvement of current as the doping increases, with 6% Ti-doped ZnO having the highest conductivity at . Thin films of ZnO doped with Ti produced in this investigation have morphological and I-V properties that suggests possible applicability in photovoltaic systems

Dimensions

Ajenifuja, E., Osinkolu, G. A., Yisau Fasasi, A., Pelemo, D. A., and Obiajunwa, E. I. (2015). Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy and structural analysis of DC reactive magnetron sputtered titanium nitride thin films on glass substrates. Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics, 27(1), 335–341. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10854-015-3759-8

Babatunde, R. Ayinla and Odunaike, R. Kola. (2023). Effect of Copper Concentration on Optical Band Gap of Spin Coated Cu2ZnSnS4 Thin Films for Photovoltaic Application. Nigerian Journal of Physics, 33(2). https://doi.org/10.62292/njp.v35i2.2026.581

Bancheva-Koleva, P., Zhelev, V., Petkov, P., & Petkova, T. (2025). Indium-doped ZnO thin films obtained using spray pyrolysis for position-sensitive photodetection. Materials, 18 (16), 3744. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18163744

Devanarayanan, V. K., Deepa, S., Jassi, J., & Salim, A. (2025). Spray-pyrolysed tin doped zinc oxide thin films: Analysis based on microstructural, optical and morphological characterisations. Results in Surfaces and Interfaces, 20, 100624. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rsurfi.2025.100624

Hussaini, A. A., Sarilmaz, A., Ozel, F., Erdal, M. O., & Yildirim, M. (2026). ZnO doping-induced performance boost in Co₂TiO₄/n-Si Schottky self-powered photodetectors. ACS Omega. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsomega.5c12653

Kaur, G., Anirban, & Yadav, K. L. (2015). Pulsed laser deposited Al-doped ZnO thin films for optical applications. Progress in Natural Science: Materials International, 25, 12–21. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pnsc.2015.01.012

Khan, M. I., Bhatti, K. A., Qindeel, R., Bousiakou, L. G., Alonizan, N., & Fazal-e-Aleem. (2016). Investigations of the structural, morphological and electrical properties of multilayer ZnO/TiO₂ thin films deposited by sol–gel technique. Results in Physics, 6, 156–160. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rinp.2016.01.015

Nurfania, E., Saputra, A., Pertiwi, N., & Arif, M. F. (2025). Fabrication of self-powered photodetector materials based on Ni-doped ZnO/p-Si heterojunctions. arXiv. https://arxiv.org/abs/2502.05441

Olumurewa, K. O., & Eleruja, M. A. (2022). Photoelectrical and thermal sensing measurement of spin-coated ZnO and ZnO-RGO thin film. Physica B: Condensed Matter, 650, 414588. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physb.2022.414588

Orelusi, A. N., Owoeye, V. A., Dada, J. B., Salau, A. O., Boyo, H. O., & Adewinbi, S. A. (2023). Investigation of microstructure and optical characteristics of Ti-doped ZnO thin films as an effective solar collector in photovoltaic solar cell applications using digitally controlled spray pyrolysis. Journal of Materials Research, 38(19), 4192–4200. https://doi.org/10.1557/s43578-023-01133-3

Owoeye, V. A., Adewinbi, S. A., Salau, A. O., Orelusi, A. N., Adeoye, E. A., & Akindadelo, A. T. (2023). Effect of precursor concentration on stoichiometry and optical properties of spray pyrolyzed nanostructured NiO thin films. Heliyon, 9(1). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e13023

Owoeye, V. A., Ajenifuja, E., Adeoye, A. E., Salau, A. O., Akindadelo, A. T., Pelemo, D. A., & Popoola, A. P. I. (2021). Microstructure and anti-corrosion properties of spray pyrolyzed Nidoped ZnO thin films for multifunctional surface protection applications. Engineering Research Express, 3(2), 25012. https://doi.org/10.1088/2631-8695/abf65f

Owoeye, V. A., Ajenifuja, E., Adeoye, E. A., Osinkolu, G. A., & Popoola, A. P. (2019). Microstructural and optical properties of Ni-doped ZnO thin films prepared by chemical spray pyrolysis technique. Materials Research Express, 6(8), 86455. https://doi.org/10.1088/2053-1591/ab26d9

Rajasekaran, M., Arunachalam, A., & Kumaresan, P. (2020). Structural, morphological and optical characterization of Ti-doped ZnO nanorod thin film synthesized by spray pyrolysis technique. Materials Research Express, 7(3), 036412. https://doi.org/10.1088/2053-1591/ab815d

Sridhar, R., Manoharan, C., Ramalingam, S., Dhanapandian, S., & Bououdina, M. (2013). Spectroscopic study and optical and electrical properties of Ti-doped ZnO thin films by spray pyrolysis. Spectrochimica Acta - Part A: Molecular and Biomolecular Spectroscopy, 120, 297–303. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.saa.2013.09.149

Published

2026-05-25

How to Cite

Orelusi, A. N., Owoeye, V. A., Dada, J. B., Salau, A. O., Olumurewa, K. O., & Agada, O. V. (2026). Investigation of Surface Morphology and Electrical Properties of Ti-Doped ZnO Thin Films Using Digitally Controlled Chemical Spray Pyrolysis Technique. Nigerian Journal of Physics, 35(3), 1-8. https://doi.org/10.62292/njp.v35i3.2026.541

Issue

Vol. 35 No. 3 (2026): Nigerian Journal of Physics - Vol. 35 No. 3

Section

Articles
Copyright & Licensing

Copyright (c) 2026 Ayodele Nicholas Orelusi, Victor Adewale Owoeye, Joseph Babatunde Dada, Ayodeji Olalekan Salau, Kayode Oladele Olumurewa, Olurotimi Vincent Agada

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

Orelusi, A. N., Owoeye, V. A., Dada, J. B., Salau, A. O., Olumurewa, K. O., & Agada, O. V. (2026). Investigation of Surface Morphology and Electrical Properties of Ti-Doped ZnO Thin Films Using Digitally Controlled Chemical Spray Pyrolysis Technique. Nigerian Journal of Physics, 35(3), 1-8. https://doi.org/10.62292/njp.v35i3.2026.541