"Structural and Optical Properties of Manganese-Doped Cobalt Thin Films Prepared by Spray Pyrolysis"

Abstract

This paper presents the deposition of manganese-doped cobalt ferrite (CoMnF) thin films on FTO substrates using spray pyrolysis. Optimization of the crucial growth parameters, along with annealing at 450°C for 2 hours, led to a single-phase cubic spinel structure without any extraneous peaks confirmed by X-ray diffraction. The films had interplanar distances between 4.896 to 1.484 Å, crystallite sizes were small: FWHM: 0.338° to 0.497°, and the lattice constant was 8.418 Å. FTIR identified a peak at 431 cm⁻¹, with implications for the presence of the ferrite phase due to the existence of octahedral metal-oxygen stretching. The UV-Vis spectra revealed strong absorption in 215 nm and 347 nm. The direct bandgap was found to be 5.6 eV. Raman vibrational modes were affected due to Mn doping. These Mn-doped Co-ferrite thin films have properties that are well suited for application in supercapacitors, sensors, and energy storage devices.