Sol–gel derived ZnO–CeO2 thin films on glass substrate

•The effects of thermal treatment conditions of ZnO–CeO2 films are investigated.•ZnO–CeO2 films show high transparency in the wavelength range of visible region.•An optical bandgap of 3.32 eV was obtained for the prepared films.

The microstructure and optical properties of crystalline ZnO–CeO2 thin films on glass substrate at various preheating temperatures, annealing temperatures and time were investigated. The relative intensity ratio values of the diffraction peaks of ZnO–CeO2 thin films and grain growth behavior were related to the preheating temperature, annealing temperature, and time. A suitable thermal treatment results in higher surface energy, which improves the surface morphology of the grown film. The ZnO–CeO2 thin films present high transparency (over 70%) in the visible region of the optical spectrum.