This study reports the optical, structural, electrical and dielectric properties of Poly (vinyl alcohol) thin films membranes with embedded ZnO nanoparticles (PVA/ZnO) obtained by the solution casting method at low temperature of deposition. Fourier Transform Infrared spectra showed the characteristics peaks, which correspond to O–H and Zn–O bonds present in the hybrid material. The X-ray diffraction patterns indicated the presence of ZnO structure into the films. The composite material showed low absorbance and a wide band of gap energy from 5.5 to 5.83 eV. The surface morphology for the thin films of PVA/ZnO was studied by Atomic Force Microscopy and Scanning Electron Microscopy. The electrical properties of the membranes were also characterized by current-voltage characteristics and the DC conductivity showed Arrhenius behavior with values of activation energy from 0.62 to 0.78 eV and maximum conductivity at 2.4 × 10−12 S/cm. The dielectric properties of the nanocomposites were measured from low to high frequencies, and the results showed a high dielectric constant (ε) in the order of 104 at low frequency and values from ε ≈ 2000 to 100 in the range of 1 KHz–1 MHz respectively. The properties of PVA/ZnO such as the high permittivity and the low temperature of processing make it a suitable material for potential applications in the development of flexible electronic devices.

The color exhibited by tungsten trioxide (WO3) can be associated with both its stoichiometry and crystallinity. Correlation between the color exhibited by WO3 powders and their purity and crystalline properties is reported in this paper. The WO3 powders were deposited by evaporation of tungsten trioxide from the surface of a tungsten filament. The WO3 powders exhibited three different shades of blue: navy, royal, and sky. The color of the WO3 powders changed to white after thermal treatment at 500 °C for 30 min in an ambient atmosphere. Raman analyses showed that transition from amorphous to crystalline WO3 started when the powders exhibited navy-blue color and ended when WO3 powders exhibited a white color. Scanning electron microscopy analysis showed particle agglomeration characteristics in all WO3 powders, even after they were thermally treated. The mechanism of deposition of WO3 from the tungsten filament was suggested to be governed by thermal evaporation of tungsten trioxide from the surface of the oxidized tungsten filament.

Summary In the present work, we studied the photon down‐conversion effect produced by thin films of silicon oxide with embedded silicon nanocrystals also called silicon‐rich oxide (SRO). These films have been used to absorb high energy light and the re‐emission of two or more low energy photons (~1.1 eV) with the goal of improving the external quantum efficiency and consequently the conversion efficiency of silicon solar cells. According to our results, the incorporation of a thin SRO film on the solar cell surface increases the short circuit current and the FF of the silicon solar cells; the enhancement of spectral response is due to the high photoluminescence intensity of the SRO in the visible region when irradiated with UV light. An improvement of 38% in the solar cell efficiency has been observed in our particular solar cell fabrication process by the use of an SRO film with high photoluminescence intensity, which replaces the conventional silicon dioxide film. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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