Effect of the annealing process on Ni catalyst film grown using the vacuum thermal evaporation method

Abstract

This study examines the effect of the annealing process on the structural morphology and optical properties of Ni catalyst films produced using the vacuum thermal evaporation method. The optimization process was performed by annealing after deposition at temperatures of 350, 400, and 450 °C for two and four hours. This study aimed to observe the effects of annealing on the surface structure and composition of the Ni catalyst films and their optical properties. The results indicate that annealing significantly affects the films’ morphology and grain size, with denser, smaller-grained film structures observed after annealing. The optical properties of the film also changed, as demonstrated by transmittance increases recorded after annealing, with more significant changes observed at higher annealing temperatures. In addition, the refractive index and film thickness were also affected by annealing. Overall, these results indicate that Ni catalyst films annealed for four hours at temperatures of 400 and 450 °C may support improved multi-layer graphene (MLG) growth. This study provides insights into the effects of the annealing process in optimizing Ni catalyst films for use as MLG growth media for solar cell applications.