Journal of Engineering in Industrial Research

h-index: 18     i10-index: 25

Improved Physical Properties of Zirconium Incorporation into the Iattice of Chromium Telluride Material

Document Type : Original Research Article

Authors

Ernest Ogheneruona Ojegu 1
Akpata Erhieyovwe 1
Clever Kate Ojoba 2
Mike Onyekachukwu Osiele 1
Imosobomeh L. Ikhioya 3

1 Department of Physics, Delta State University, Abraka, Delta State, Nigeria

2 Department of Physics, College of Education, Warri, Delta State, Nigeria

3 Department of Physics, Federal University Lokoja, Nigeria

https://doi.org/10.48309/jeires.2026.550335.1315
Abstract
The successful synthesis of undoped and doped CrTe was achieved through electrochemical deposition. The film exhibited a 2θ value of 46.51o and a hexagonal phase with orientations (111), (112), (121), and (200). The CrTe image exhibits a surface with compacted particles, indicating a favorable shaving surface. The absorption of photons is evident on the surface of the substrate with a well-packed grain size. The surface micrograph of the CrTe precursor was altererd by the addition of zirconium. The doped films exhibited a stone-like micro-grain in their surface morphology. As the dopant concentration increased, specific grains showed an enlargement and thickening of the stone-like nano-grains. The doped CrTe material successfully achieved a uniform deposition of nanoparticles across the entire solar substrate. There was a decrease in the material's thickness from 104.02 to 103.23 nm, accompanied by an increase in film resistivity from 5.49 to 6.03Ω.m. As a result, conductivity decreased from 1.82 to 1.65 S/m. The undoped exhibited an energy bandgap of 1.62 eV. The molar concentration of zirconium has an inverse relationship with the energy bandgap of doped CrTe, with the range decreasing from 1.68 eV at 0.1 mol, 1.42 eV 0.2 mol, and 1.41 eV 0.3 mol. Incorporating zirconium into the crystal lattice of chromium telluride (CrTe) introduces novel and distinct physical properties, primarily by modifying its optical and electrical characteristics. The key novelty is demonstrating a non-linear relationship between Zr concentration and surface morphology. The study identifies that 0.02 mol of Zr is the ideal amount for achieving superior dispersion and the finest grain structure. It also provides a clear mechanistic explanation for why a higher concentration (0.03 mol) fails, due to particle agglomeration.

Graphical Abstract

Improved Physical Properties of Zirconium Incorporation into the Iattice of Chromium Telluride Material

Keywords

Photovoltaic
Electrochemical deposition
Bandgap
Doping
Thin films

Subjects

OPEN ACCESS

©2026 The author(s). This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons license and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this license, visit: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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Journal of Engineering in Industrial Research
Volume 7, Issue 2
Spring 2026
Pages 76-88

  • Receive Date 30 September 2025
  • Revise Date 22 October 2025
  • Accept Date 08 November 2025

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