<p>Studies were conducted on the effect of Co dopant on the structural, morphological and optical characteristics of spray pyrolysis deposited V₂O₅. The ionic radius compliance of vanadium was taken into consideration while choosing Co as a dopant. XRD analysis indicates Co dopant addition did not alter its orthorhombic structure of the developed V₂O₅. Based on morphological studies, the surface roughness of the synthesised V₂O₅ increased with dopant concentration. Analysis of FESEM images shows that the generated film’s particle size decreased with an increase in dopant concentration. Due to enhancement in surface roughness and decrease in size of the particle, the developed material is appropriate for gas sensor. The impact of Co dopant on the absorption, transmission, and optical band gap of the developed V₂O₅ film has been examined using UV–vis spectroscopy. The investigations revealed that the material had demonstrated an improvement in transmission, decreased absorption, and increased optical band gap in the visible spectrum, implying that it can be considered for photovoltaic applications such as solar cells. Investigations are carried out to analyse the effect of Co dopant on gas sensing characteristics of the developed film.</p>