Ultrasonic sol-gel dip coating of multilayer niobium-doped ZnO thin films: Analysis of optical properties

[Display omitted] •Multilayer Nb-doped ZnO thin films achieved >95 % visible transmittance via ultrasonic sol–gel dip-coating.•Optimal six-layered films exhibited superior optical performance with a bandgap range of 3.26–3.69 eV.•FESEM and AFM confirmed nanoscale uniformity and minimal surface ro...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Materials letters 2025-03, Vol.382, Article 137836
Main Authors: Eswar, Kevin Alvin, Guliling, Muliyadi, Khusaimi, Zuraida, Rasmidi, Rosfayanti, Buniyamin, Irmaizatussyehdany, Rostan, Nur Fairuz, Malek, Mohd Firdaus, Fadzilah Suhaimi, Mohd Husairi, Mahmood, Mohamad Rusop, Abdullah, Saifollah
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Band gap energy
Dip-coating
Nb-dopant
Optical properties
Tauc’s plot
Urbach energy
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Summary:[Display omitted] •Multilayer Nb-doped ZnO thin films achieved >95 % visible transmittance via ultrasonic sol–gel dip-coating.•Optimal six-layered films exhibited superior optical performance with a bandgap range of 3.26–3.69 eV.•FESEM and AFM confirmed nanoscale uniformity and minimal surface roughness of six-layered films.•XRD revealed enhanced crystallinity with dominant (002) peaks and reduced defects in six-layered films.•The method demonstrates potential for scalable, cost-effective high-quality optical thin films. This study investigates the synthesis of multilayer Nb-doped ZnO thin films using an ultrasonic-assisted sol–gel dip-coating technique. The work aims to bridge a gap in the literature by examining the influence of multilayer deposition on optical and structural properties, which has not been extensively reported. The films demonstrate over 95 % transmittance in the visible range and increased absorption in the ultraviolet region. The six-layered thin film exhibited the highest optical performance, attributed to uniform particle size distribution and minimal structural defects. UV–vis spectroscopy revealed an optical bandgap ranging from 3.26 to 3.69 eV, while FESEM analysis indicated an average particle size of 24.8–25.2 nm. EDAX confirmed successful niobium doping, and XRD patterns identified a hexagonal wurtzite crystalline structure with a predominant (002) orientation. These findings highlight the potential of the ultrasonic sol–gel dip-coating method in fabricating high-quality optical thin films.
ISSN:0167-577X
DOI:10.1016/j.matlet.2024.137836