Cation Doping of La2NiMnO6 Complex Oxide with the Double Perovskite Structure for Photovoltaic Applications

Nanopowders of complex oxides with the double perovskite structure La2Ni1 – xFexMnO6 (x = 0, 0.2, 0.4) were synthesized using the glycine-nitrate combustion method. Thin nanostructured layers based on the obtained materials were fabricated and studied by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and UV-Vis optical spectroscopy. It was shown that introduction of Fe3+ ions into the La2NiMnO6 crystal structure at low concentration (x = 0.2) leads to an increase in the band gap value. To determine the photosensitivity of La2Ni1 – xFexMnO6 thin layers, Schottky diodes based on them were fabricated and their photovoltaic characteristics were studied in the dark and under standard AM1.5G illumination conditions. It has been found that cation doping with Fe3+ ions at low concentration increases the photosensitivity of La2NiMnO6 thin layer by ~7%. The presented results provide new possibilities for application of inorganic perovskite materials in solar photovoltaics.