Rinsing Effects on the Structural and Morphological Evolution of BiOI Thin Films Prepared from BiI3

Authors

  • Anissa A. Putri Department of Chemistry, Universitas Islam Negeri Walisongo, Indonesia Author
  • R. Arizal Firmansyah Department of Chemistry, Universitas Islam Negeri Walisongo, Indonesia Author
  • A. A. Abuelwafa Nano & Thin Film Lab., Physics Department, Faculty of Science, South Valley University, Egypt Author
  • N. Kishi Department of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering, Nagoya Institute of Technology, Japan Author
  • T. Soga Department of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering, Nagoya Institute of Technology, Japan Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.66000/3110-9772.2026.02.09

Keywords:

BiOI, Thin film, BiI3, Thermal oxidation, Rinsing treatment, Structural, Morphology

Abstract

Bismuth oxyiodide (BiOI) is a layered semiconductor with visible-light absorption and potential for photocatalytic, photovoltaic, and optoelectronic applications. In this study, the effect of rinsing treatment on BiOI thin films prepared from BiI3 by thermal oxidation was investigated. BiOI was deposited on cleaned glass/FTO substrates by BiI3 heating at 360 oC for 30 min. The resulting films were subjected to three treatment conditions: no rinsing, rinsing with an ethanol/water mixture, and rinsing with water, followed by reheating at 350 oC for 15 min. X-ray diffraction (XRD) identified tetragonal BiOI as the dominant crystalline phase, with the (001) and (102) reflections being prominent. Rinsing was accompanied by the appearance of additional reflections and a narrowing of the (001) peak. The FWHM decreased from 0.871o for the non-rinsed film to 0.489o and 0.471o after ethanol/water and water rinsing, respectively. Raman spectroscopy provided complementary evidence of BiOI through the characteristic Bi-I stretching feature near 149.6 cm−1. UV-Vis analysis of the prepared films gave an optical band gap of 1.58 eV. FESEM observations showed a more pronounced vertically oriented flaky morphology after rinsing. Overall, the results indicate that rinsing is an important processing parameter that is associated with changes in the crystallographic and morphological development of BiOI films prepared by thermal oxidation of BiI3.

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Published

2026-11-12

Issue

Vol. 2 (2026)

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Articles

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Copyright (c) 2026 Anissa A. Putri, R. Arizal Firmansyah, A. A. Abuelwafa, N. Kishi, T. Soga (Author)

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