Zinc-indium-oxide sol-gel thin film: surface patterning, morphology and photocatalytic activity

TLDR: In this paper, the fabrication of surface patterned zinc indium oxide thin films by pressure assisted capillary force lithography from the precursor solutions of varying indium content 55 maximum was reported.

Abstract: We report the fabrication of surface patterned zinc indium oxide thin films by pressure assisted capillary force lithography from the precursor solutions of varying indium content 55 maximum. The presence of various morphologies spherical, hexagonal plate, cotton ball, flower and islandlike of hexagonal ZnO together with the formation of light surface patterns was observed from electron microscopes field emission scanning electron microscope, TEM for the films deposited from the precursors of 45 indium. However, at 55 indium ZI55, the development of high fidelity surface patterns average periodicity 15m peak height 15nm was observed from atomic force microscopy (AFM) study. A gradual increase in photocatalytic activity PA of the films towards decomposition of rhodamine 6G dye under UV 254nm was found on increasing indium content. Moreover, an improvement of the PA over 13 times was noticed by nanoAu coating on ZI55. This fabrication strategy could be used for PA improvement of metal oxide semicond...