Performance tweaking of Co3O4 UV radiation detector via zirconium dopant microstructural and photo-electronic engineering

Incorporation of dopant impurities in semiconducting metal oxide nanostructures has been presumed to increase the pace at which photo-induced holes and electrons separate due to possible bandgap engineering and oxygen vacancy modulations. In this study, we have adopted an electrodeposition technique using a three-electrode configuration for the preparation of Co ₃O ₄ thin film samples and investigated the effect of Zr as a dopant ion on the UV radiation sensing performance of nanostructured Co ₃O ₄ host material via energy band engineering and microstructural modulation. Consistency in optical energy band gap measurements of the deposited Zr-doped Co ₃O ₄ (Zr@Co ₃O ₄ ) was unveiled with the aid of two models: Tauc’s and absorption spectrum fitting (ASF) methods. Ag/Zr@Co ₃O ₄/ITO/glass UV radiation detector was fabricated and a sample with 3 % Zr-dopant content demonstrated high UV-365 nm detector performance: detectivity, 1.2 ×10 ¹¹ Jones, and responsivity, 1818 mA W ^−1, with high cycling stability, attributable to the host`s dopant microstructural tailoring, and the enhancement in its electronic charge carrier number and their scattering potentials within the host`s band structure, thanks to the synergistic impacts of dopant ion incorporation and UV irradiation.