Effect of Al Dopant on Physical and Optical Properties of Er-Doped CuS Prepared by Co-Precipitation Process

Abstract

Considering the pressing demand for energy conservation, sustainable solutions in the building sector have become paramount. This study focuses on the development of sustainable, energy-efficient technologies for window glasses and transparent solar shielding film materials. The primary objective is to achieve a delicate balance: enabling the transmission of visible light while effectively shielding against Near Infrared Radiation (NIR). Copper sulfide (CuS) emerges as a promising p-type semiconductor material due to its favorable NIR shielding performance. In this research, CuS particles were synthesized via a simple co-precipitation method. Additionally, with the certain dopant ratios of erbium (Er) as rare earth dopants and the various dopant ratios of aluminum (Al), explore the enhancement of the solar spectral selectivity. The X-ray diffraction technique was used to characterize the crystalline structure of the synthesized powders, while X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy was utilized to explore the valence states of the samples. Furthermore, the optical properties of the synthesized powders and prepared thin films were observed using a diffuse reflectance spectrophotometer. Lastly, the thermal insulation performance of the prepared thin films was evaluated using a custom device, supplemented by an infrared lamp. The NIR shielding performance was assessed by examining the lowest transmittance in the NIR region, attributed to changes in the valence state induced by the dopant, thereby enhancing the semiconducting behavior of CuS.