Reddivari, R.Reddy, N.P.Santhosh, R.Maharana, G.Fernandes, J.M.Padmanaban, D.B.Kovendhan, M.Veerappan, G.Laxminarayana, G.Murali, M.Joseph, D.P.2026-02-042023Physica Status Solidi (A) Applications and Materials Science, 2023, 220, 14, pp. -18626300https://doi.org/10.1002/pssa.202200703https://idr.nitk.ac.in/handle/123456789/21833Exploration of alternatives for supplementing indium tin oxide electrode is currently trending due to scarcity of indium, leading to a steep increase in the cost of related optoelectronic components. Codoping of niobium (Nb) and fluorine (F) into SnO<inf>2</inf> lattice as cationic and anionic dopants, respectively, is explored by spray deposition technique. A fixed 10 wt% F and varying Nb concentration from 0 to 5 wt% is incorporated into the SnO<inf>2</inf> lattice. X-ray diffraction reveals substitution of Nb and F into the SnO<inf>2</inf> lattice without altering the structure. Optical transmittance is found to increase with Nb content up to 4% of Nb (77.59%), and it decreases thereafter. Scanning electron microscope and optical profiler imply a relatively smooth surface with sharp-tipped particles which vary with Nb concentration. Sheet resistance decreases up to 3 wt% of Nb doping and increases thereafter. Contact angle measurement indicates that upon doping with Nb, the films turn hydrophilic. Among the deposited films, 4 wt% of Nb-doped film shows the highest figure of merit of 5.01 × 10−3 Ω−1. The surface work function of the 4 wt% Nb-doped SnO<inf>2</inf> film is 4,687.85 meV. The optimal films are tested as electrodes in dye-sensitized solar cells and are discussed in detail. © 2023 Wiley-VCH GmbH.Conductive filmsContact angleDye-sensitized solar cellsNanocompositesOxide filmsScanning electron microscopySemiconductor dopingSpray pyrolysisThin filmsTransparent electrodesCationicsCo-dopedCo-dopingDye- sensitized solar cellsDye-sensitized solar cell.Exploration of alternativesOptoelectronic applicationsTin oxide thin filmTransparent conducting electrodesTransparent conducting oxide electrodesTin oxides