Microstructure and gas-sensing properties of sol–gel ZnO thin films

The paper presents the properties of zinc oxide thin films deposited on glass substrate via dip-coating technique. Zinc acetate dehydrate, ethanol and monoethanol amine were used as starting materials and N2 gas was used as thermal annealing atmosphere for film crystallization. The effect of withdrawal speed on the crystalline structure, morphology, zinc and nitrogen chemical states, optical, electrical and gas-sensing properties of the thin films has been investigated using X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, optical transmittance and photoreduction–ozone reoxidation data.