Structural and optical properties of nickel oxide thin films prepared by chemical bath deposition and by spray pyrolysis techniques

Nickel oxide thin films were prepared by chemical bath deposition (CBD) and by chemical spray pyrolysis from the same precursor onto glass substrate. The sprayed NiO thin films are polycrystalline in cubic phase structure with (111) preferred orientation. While the chemical bath deposited as a nickel hydroxide phase and transfer to polycrystalline NiO with annealing. The annealed CBD-films are polycrystalline NiO with cubic phase structure and preferred orientation (200). Sprayed and CBD-NiO films have optical transmittance in the visible region 70 and 46 %, respectively. Sprayed and CBD-NiO thin films have optical band gap 3.54 and 3.62 eV, respectively. Sprayed NiO thin films can be used as transparent materials in invisible electronics applications.