The First Observation of Ni and Ni2O3 Phases in the Sol-Gel Ag-Doped NiO Film

Abstract

In this work, Ag-doped NiO film was prepared by a simple sol-gel method using the Ni (Ac)2. 4H2O and AgNO3 as precursor. The prepared films have been studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and UV-visible spectrophotometer. Differently, some Ni or Ni3+ phases were found in the final films compared with previous reports. On the low concentration of Ag doping (1.5 mol%), the Ag-doped NiO film had formed the solid solution. The obvious phase separation was observed when the concentration of Ag dopant reached to 10% (mol).