Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
81018 | Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells | 2008 | 6 Pages |
The electrochromic (EC) behavior, the microstructure, and the morphology of sol–gel deposited nickel oxide (NiOx) coatings were investigated. The films were produced by spin and dip-coating techniques on indium tin oxide (ITO)/glass and Corning glass (2947) substrates.The coating solutions were prepared by reacting nickel(II) 2-ethylhexanoate as the precursor, and isopropanol as the solvent. NiOx was heat treated at 350 °C for 1 h. The surface morphology, crystal structure, and EC characteristics of the coatings were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), electron dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), atomic force spectroscopy (AFM), X-ray diffractometry (XRD), and cyclic voltammetry (CV).SEM and AFM images revealed that the surface morphology and surface characteristics of the spin- and dip-coated films on both types of substrate were different. XRD spectra revealed that both films were amorphous, either on ITO or Corning glass substrates. CV showed a reversible electrochemical insertion or extraction of the K+ ions, cycled in 1 M KOH electrolyte, in both type of film. The crystal structure of the cycled films was found to be XRD amorphous. Spectroelectrochemistry demonstrated that dip-coated films were more stable up to 1000 coloration–bleaching cycles, whereas spin-coated films gradually degraded after 500 cycles.