Microstructural analysis and optical properties evaluation of sol-gel heterostructured NiO-TiO2 film used for solar panels

In this study, the production, microstructural characterization and optical properties evaluation of heterostructured NiO-TiO₂ films were performed. The film is intended to be used in solar cell applications. Ni-P electroless film was made on an AA7050 aluminum alloy. The film was black nickel electrodeposited by diluted nitric acid and then a thin TiO₂ layer coating was deposited by Sol-gel process. The microstructure of the film was analyzed by scanning electron microscope (SEM) equipped with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) detector. X-ray diffraction (XRD) technique was used to determine the phases formed in the heterostructured film. Optical properties of the heterostructured film were measured by UV–visible spectroscopy and photoluminescence (PL) Test. Results showed that the heterostructured NiO-TiO₂ films had a cauliflower characteristic and was amorphous crystallographically. The heterostructured films also increased the absorption coefficient of the solar absorber plates up to more than 98% in the visible-ultraviolet range. Finally, it was shown that, in the infrared region, the absorption coefficient for dispersion was down to 2%.