Zinc oxide has been given much attention recently as it is promising for various semiconductor device applications. ZnO has a direct band gap of 3.3 eV, high exciton binding energy of 60 meV and can exist in various bulk powder and thin film forms for different applications. ZnO is naturally n-type with various structural defects, which sparks further investigation into the material properties. Although there are many potential applications for this ZnO, an overall lack of understand and control of intrinsic defects has proven difficult to obtain consistent, repeatable results. This work studies both synthesis and characterization of zinc oxide in an effort to produce high quality transparent conductive oxides. The sol-gel spin coating method was used to obtain highly transparent ZnO thin films with high UV absorbance. This research develops a new more consistent method for synthesis of these thin films, providing insight for maintaining quality control for each step in the procedure. A sol-gel spin coating technique is optimized, yielding highly transparent polycrystalline ZnO thin films with tunable electrical properties. Annealing treatment in hydrogen and zinc atmospheres is researched in an effort to increase electrical conductivity and better understand intrinsic properties of the material. These treatment have shown significant effects on the properties of ZnO. Characterization of doped and undoped ZnO synthesized by the sol-gel spin coating method was carried out using scanning electron microscopy, UV-Visible range absorbance, X-ray diffraction, and the Hall Effect. Treatment in hydrogen shows an overall decrease in the number of crystal phases and visible absorbance while zinc seems to have the opposite effect. The Hall Effect has shown that both annealing environments increase the n-type conductivity, yielding a ZnO thin film with a carrier concentration as high as 3.001 × 1021 cm-3.

This book focuses on the study of synthesized ZnO powder using Zn(CH3COO)2∙2H2O precursor, methanol (as solvent), and sodium hydroxide (NaOH) to vary the pH. The successfully synthesized ZnO powder from the sol-gel centrifugation and sol-gel storage methods were characterized and investigated by X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, UV–visible spectroscopy, and photoluminescence test to compare the properties of the nanoparticles. The best characteristic of the ZnO powder from both methods was observed when the powders were coated on an ITO glass to fabricate a PEC. The current density–voltage performances of both PECs were investigated under luminescent and dark conditions.

ZnO thin films are synthesized and studied to understand the functionality of solution-processed semiconductor devices. A simple sol-gel technique is used to fabricate transparent conductive oxides (TCOs) and ultraviolet (UV) photodetectors from ZnO precursors via spin coating, inkjet printing (IJP), and aerosol jet printing (AJP). A variety of flexible and transparent substrates was selected based on the deposition and sintering conditions and the device application. Doping of ZnO films with Al3+, In3+, and Ga3+ was introduced in precursor solutions before deposition processes. Post-deposition processing was carried out in air, H2, and Zn environments to optimize thin film properties. Optical, structural, and electronic data analyses reveal the significant effects that deposition method, substrates, dopants, and processing conditions have on the optical transmission, crystallinity, grain size, and electrical conductivity.

This journal's volume contains articles that described the last research results and engineering solutions in applied materials and technologies of materials synthesis and processing. The articles collection will be helpful for engineers and researchers.

The sol-gel method is a powerful route of synthesis used worldwide. It produces bulk, nano- and mesostructured sol-gel materials, which can encapsulate metallic and magnetic nanoparticles, non-linear azochromophores, perovskites, organic dyes, biological molecules, etc.. This can have interesting applications for catalysis, photocatalysis; drug delivery for treatment of neurodegenerative diseases such as cancer, Parkinson's and Azheimer's. In this book, valuable contributions related to novel materials synthesized by the sol-gel route are provided. The effect of the sol-gel method to synthesize these materials with potential properties is described, and how the variation of the parameters during the synthesis influences their design and allows to adjust their properties according to the desired application is discussed.

This completely updated and expanded second edition stands as a comprehensive knowledgebase on both the fundamentals and applications of this important materials processing method. The diverse, international team of contributing authors of this reference clarify in extensive detail properties and applications of sol-gel science and technology as it pertains to the production of substances, active and non-active, including optical, electronic, chemical, sensor, bio- and structural materials. Essential to a wide range of manufacturing industries, the compilation divides into the three complementary sections: Sol-Gel Processing, devoted to general aspects of processing and recently developed materials such as organic-inorganic hybrids, photonic crystals, ferroelectric coatings, and photocatalysts; Characterization of Sol-Gel Materials and Products, presenting contributions that highlight the notion that useful materials are only produced when characterization is tied to processing, such as determination of structure by NMR, in-situ characterization of the sol-gel reaction process, determination of microstructure of oxide gels, characterization of porous structure of gels by the surface measurements, and characterization of organic-inorganic hybrid; and Applications of Sol-Gel Technology, covering applications such as the sol-gel method used in processing of bulk silica glasses, bulk porous gels prepared by sol-gel method, application of sol-gel method to fabrication of glass and ceramic fibers, reflective and antireflective coating films, application of sol-gel method to formation of photocatalytic coating films, and application of sol-gel method to bioactive coating films. The comprehensive scope and integrated treatment of topics make this reference volume ideal for R&D scientists and engineers across a wide range of disciplines and professional interests.

Zinc oxide (ZnO) belongs to the class of transparent conducting oxides that can be used as transparent electrodes in electronic devices or heated windows. In this book the material properties of, the deposition technologies for, and applications of zinc oxide in thin film solar cells are described in a comprehensive manner. Structural, morphological, optical and electronic properties of ZnO are treated in this review.

4th International Conference on Functional Materials Science (ICFMS 2018) Selected, peer reviewed papers from the 4th International Conference on Functional Materials Science 2018 (ICFMS 2018), November 13-15, 2018, Bali, Indonesia