Effect of Mn Doping on the Optical and Electrical Properties of Double Perovskite SrTiCoO.

A new series of SrTiCoMnO (0.0 ≤ ≤ 0.7) materials has been synthesized using the conventional solid-state method. In this research, X-ray diffraction (XRD) results showed that Mn was successfully doped at the Co site in a cubic structure with monoclinic 2/ space group. The effect of Mn cation substitution on the structural, optical and electrical performance of SrTiCoMnO double perovskite was investigated. The optical study revealed a nonlinearity pattern of the band gap that is referred to as the band gap bowing trend. Results from optical and Rietveld refinement supports that the band gap bowing trend is correlated with the charge distribution that produces unique effects on structural and size changes due to the Co-Mn compositions. The morphological scanning electron microscopy studies also showed that larger crystallite sizes were developed when dopant was added. Furthermore, increases in the conductivities support the lowering band gap of Mn-doped samples. Here, the intermixing of the atomic orbitals of Co-Mn provides an efficient interlink electrical pathway to improve conductivity and exhibits a high dielectric property at room temperature. These values are strong evidence that STCM material will be suitable for applications in the semiconductor industry.