| Thickness-Dependent Structural, Morphological, Optical
and Photoluminescence Properties of Spin-coated NiO
Thin Films |
Srinivasa Nakkalagadda Venkatakrishna,a
Basavaraj Angadia,* and Mahesh Hampapatna Mattb
Pages : 142-150
DOI: 10.1080/0371750X.2025.2493093 |
| Abstract |
| Multilayer metal oxide thin films are promising for future sensors, solar cells and optical
materials. In this study, nickel oxide multilayer films were coated onto a glass substrate
using the sol-gel spin coating method. The effects of the number of layers in these
films on the structural, morphological and optical characteristics were investigated. It
was found that the multilayered coatings significantly influenced the properties of NiO.
X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis confirmed that NiO exhibits a polycrystalline face-centred
cubic structure, with crystallite sizes ranging from 10 to 19 nm. Ni-O absorption bands
and other functional groups were identified through Fourier transform infrared (FTIR)
analysis. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) revealed crack-free
films with uniformly distributed nanograin structures. Optical studies indicated that
the transmittance varies from 60 to 80% in the optical region, making the films suitable
for solar cell applications. The bandgap decreased from 3.62 to 3.43 eV, while Urbach
energy, a measure of disorder, increased with increasing film thickness.
Photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy showed strong UV luminescence along with
deep-level emissions from the films. This study demonstrates a low-cost,
environmentally friendly material with abundant availability, suitable for applications in
transparent conducting oxides (TCOs), optoelectronics and solar cells.
[Keywords: NiO films, XRD, Raman, FESEM, PL] |
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