Structural and Optical Characterization of Cerium Dioxide Thin Films Prepared and Doped with Carbon Nanotubes by Pulsed-Laser Deposition

IRAQI JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHYSICS Vol. 22, No. 3, July-September 2026, pp. 441-446 Structural and Optical Characterization of Cerium Dioxide Walaa H. Shaaban* Kawkab D. Salim Thin Films Prepared and Doped with Carbon Nanotubes by Pulsed-Laser Deposition... More

IRAQI JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHYSICS Vol. 22, No. 3, July-September 2026, pp. 441-446 Structural and Optical Characterization of Cerium Dioxide Walaa H. Shaaban* Kawkab D. Salim Thin Films Prepared and Doped with Carbon Nanotubes by Pulsed-Laser Deposition Department of Physics, College of Education for Thin films of pure cerium oxide (CeO2) and CeO2-doped with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) at Pure Sciences, (0.1, 0.3, and 0.5 wt.%) were fabricated on glass substrates using pulsed laser deposition University of Tikrit, (PLD). X-ray diffraction (XRD) confirmed polycrystalline films with preferred (111) Tikrit, IRAQ orientation, and higher CNT doping resulted in broader peaks, indicating reduced crystallite *Corresponding author Email: size. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) revealed WHSueps91@st.tu.edu.iq that increased doping decreased grain size and surface roughness, with mostly homogeneous grain distribution and minor agglomeration. UV–Visible spectroscop Less