Abstract In this investigation, ITO-based bi-layer and tri-layer thin film coatings (~130 nm) were synthesized via a sol-gel spin-coating process and annealed at 500 °C. Thin layers of Au, Au-NPs, Ag-NPs and AgO were inserted underneath ITO films to form bi-layer thin film systems and/or encapsulated between two thin ITO layers to form tri-layer thin film systems. The effects of incorporating these layers with ITO thin films were investigated by X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), UV–Vis spectroscopy, four-point probes and Hall effect. XRD results confirmed the presence of a body-centred cubic structure of indium oxide for all synthesized ITO-based coatings with an average grain size ~30 nm. FESEM images of all fabricated films revealed the formation of dense surfaces with grain-like morphologies confirming the formation of a polycrystalline structure of ITO. Optical studies on the Ag-NPs and Au-NPs colloidal solutions resulted in absorption peaks featured at wavelengths 405 and 531 nm, indicating the formation of 10–14 nm and 48 nm Ag and Au nanoparticles, respectively. The highest optical transparency and band gap energy were found to be ~91.5% and 3.75 eV for (AgO)I and (I(AgO)I) thin films, respectively. The lowest electrical resistivity of 1.2 × 10−4 Ω·cm, along with the highest carrier concentration of 11.4 × 1020 cm−3 and mobility 40 cm2/V.s were obtained from the IAuI thin film. An improvement in the power conversion efficiency (PCE) from 3.8 to 4.9% was achieved in an organic solar cell by replacing the conventional pure ITO electrode with the (I(AgO)I) electrode.

中文翻译：

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用于有机太阳能电池应用的溶胶-凝胶衍生的基于 ITO 的双层和三层薄膜涂层

摘要 在这项研究中，通过溶胶-凝胶旋涂工艺合成了基于 ITO 的双层和三层薄膜涂层（~130 nm），并在 500 °C 下退火。将 Au、Au-NPs、Ag-NPs 和 AgO 的薄层插入 ITO 薄膜下方以形成双层薄膜系统和/或封装在两个薄 ITO 层之间以形成三层薄膜系统。通过 X 射线衍射、X 射线光电子能谱 (XPS)、场发射扫描电子显微镜 (FESEM)、紫外-可见光谱、四点探针和霍尔效应研究了将这些层与 ITO 薄膜结合的效果。XRD 结果证实所有合成的 ITO 基涂层均存在体心立方结构的氧化铟，平均晶粒尺寸约为 30 nm。所有制造的薄膜的 FESEM 图像显示形成了具有颗粒状形态的致密表面，证实了 ITO 多晶结构的形成。对 Ag-NPs 和 Au-NPs 胶体溶液的光学研究导致在波长 405 和 531 nm 处出现吸收峰，表明分别形成了 10-14 nm 和 48 nm 的 Ag 和 Au 纳米颗粒。发现 (AgO)I 和 (I(AgO)I) 薄膜的最高光学透明度和带隙能量分别为~91.5% 和 3.75 eV。从 IAuI 薄膜中获得了 1.2 × 10-4 Ω·cm 的最低电阻率，以及 11.4 × 1020 cm-3 的最高载流子浓度和 40 cm2/Vs 的迁移率。功率转换效率 (PCE) 从 3.8 提高到 4。