In-Depth Optical Analysis of Zn(Al)O Mixed Metal Oxide Film-Based Zn/Al-Layered Double Hydroxide for TCO Application

In this article, an in-depth optical investigation of Zn(Al)O-mixed metal oxide (MMO) film using Zn/Al-layered double hydroxide (LDH) was elucidated through co-precipitation and spin coating techniques. The field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) analysis revealed the occurrence of a vertically aligned sheet-like structure with a thickness of 60 nm for pristine LDH, which further reduced to 45 nm after calcination at 300 degrees C. Additionally, pristine LDH showed multiple optical bandgaps of 5.18, 3.6, and 3.2 eV. Moreover, a good agreement of the obtained optical bandgaps was attained between both utilized methods, ultraviolet-visible light (UV-Vis), and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopies. The optical bandgap decreased at higher calcination temperatures, which indicates the active role of the applied post-fabrication process on the optical profile of the deposited MMO film/s. The demonstrated transmittance spectra of the deposited MMO films exhibited a transparency between 85% and 95%; this indicates the usefulness and consistency of the proposed film for transparent conductive oxide (TCO) based optoelectronic applications.