Thin films of nanocomposite of zinc oxide–reduced graphene oxide (ZnO-rGO) deposited on soda-lime glass substrates were prepared using ultrasonic spray pyrolysis (USP) at 460 °C. The preparation process does not use harsh acids and is environmentally friendly. The deposition period of 2, 3.5 and 5 min resulted in compact, uniform samples with thicknesses of 148, 250 and 365 nm, respectively. After performing structural, morphological, optical and electrical characterization of the prepared nanocomposite, an influence of the deposition time on the physical properties of the obtained films was determined. TEM analyses indicate that the ZnO-rGO nanocomposite presents ZnO nanoparticles anchored on graphene sheets, while XRD, X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) and Raman results show the presence of a ZnO phase in the ZnO-rGO films. HR-SEM studies showed changes of the ZnO-rGO thin films morphology due to the incorporation of graphene into the ZnO films. Here, the particles of ZnO are similar to small grains of rice and graphene films have the appearance of a little “rose”. As the thickness of the film increases with deposition time, it reduces the structure of resistance of the nanocomposite thin films to 135 Ω. In addition, the optical transmission of the thin films in the visible region resulted affected. Here, we report a simple methodology for the preparation of ZnO-rGO nanocomposite thin films.

This paper reports a study of Fluorine-doped Tin Oxide (FTO) thin films deposited by the Pneumatic Spray Pyrolysis (PSP) technique. The films were deposited on glass substrates at 450 °C with a ~125 nm thickness, using an F/Sn ratio of 0, 0.2, 0.35, 0.5, 0.65 and 0.85, respectively. The samples were characterized by X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), UV-visible Spectroscopy and Hall Effect techniques, respectively. XRD results revealed that the FTO thin films were polycrystalline with a tetragonal rutile-type structure and had preferential orientations along (110) planes. SEM studies showed that FTO thin film morphology was totally affected by an increased F/Sn ratio. The calculated grain mean sizes were 10-35 nm. Optical transmittance spectra of the films showed a high transparency of approximately 80-90 % in the visible region. The optical gap of FTO thin films was in a 3.70-4.07 eV range. Electrical and optical properties of these films were studied as a function of the F/Sn ratio. Therefore, the optimal FTO (F/Sn = 0.5) films revealed a maximum value of the figure of merit approximately 8.05 × 10-3 (Ω-1) at λ = 400 nm. The high-conducting and transparent-elaborating FTO thin films may have several promising applications due to its multifunctional properties.

A comparative analysis was performed of fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) thin films deposited through two different systems: pneumatic spray pyrolysis and ultrasonic spray pyrolysis. The films were deposited on glass substrates at 460 °C, with varying weight ratios of fluorine to tin (F/Sn = 0.35, F/Sn = 0.50, and F/Sn = 0.65). The investigation focuses on the evolution of the film’s crystallinity, structural, morphological, transmittance, optical, and electrical properties. Resonant nuclear reaction (RNR) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) techniques were used to confirm the presence of fluorine in the FTO samples. The results show that the sample with F/Sn = 0.50 deposited through pneumatic spray pyrolysis, with a figure of merit of 34.5 × 10−3 Ω−1, exhibits the best characteristics for use as electrodes in optoelectronic devices, particularly in the fabrication of solar cells.