Increasing Deposition Time Research Articles

Electrophoretic deposition of silk fibroin coatings with pre-defined architecture to facilitate precise control over drug delivery

The therapeutic precision and clinical applicability of drug-eluting coatings can be substantially improved by facilitating tunable drug delivery. However, the design of coatings which allows for precise control over drug release kinetics is still a major challenge. Here, a double-layered silk fibroin (SF) coating system was constructed by sequential electrophoretic deposition. A mixture of dissolved Bombyx mori SF (bmSF) molecules and pre-made bmSF nanospheres at different ratios was deposited as under-layer. Subsequently, this underlayer was covered by a top-layer comprising Antheraea pernyi SF (apSF) molecules (rich in arginylglycylaspartic acid, RGD) to improve the cellular response of the resulting double-layered coatings. Additionally, model drug doxycycline was either pre-mixed with dissolved bmSF molecules or pre-loaded into pre-made bmSF nanospheres at the same amount before their mixing and deposition. The thickness and nanosphere content of the under-layer architecture were proportional to the deposition time and nanosphere concentration in precursor mixtures, respectively. The surface topography, wettability, degradation rate and adhesion strength were comparable within the double-layered coating system. As expected, RGD-rich apSF top-layer improved cell adhesion, spreading and proliferation compared with bmSF top-layer. Furthermore, the amount and duration of drug release increased linearly with increasing nanosphere concentration at fixed deposition time, whereas drug release amount increased linearly with increasing deposition time. These results indicate that the dosage and kinetics of loaded drugs can be quantitatively tailored by altering nanosphere concentration and deposition time as main processing parameters. Overall, this study illustrates the strong potential of pre-defining coating architecture to facilitate control over drug delivery.

Polarized SERS Controlled by Anisotropic Growth on Ordered Curvature Substrate.

Colloidal lithography is an efficient and low-cost method to prepare an ordered nanostructure array with new shapes and properties. In this study, square-shaped and cone-shaped Au nanostructures were obtained by 70° angle deposition onto polystyrene bead array with the diameter of 500 nm when a space of 120 nm is created between the neighbor beads by plasma etching. The gaps between the units decrease when the Au deposition time increases, which leads to the polarized enhanced local field, in agreement with the surface-enhanced Raman scattering spectra (SERS) observations and finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulations. When the Au deposition time increased to 5 min, 5 nm gaps form between the neighbor units, which gave an enhancement factor of 5 × 109. The SERS chip was decorated for the detection of the liver cancer cell marker Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) with the detection limit down to 5 pg/mL.

The Effect of Deposition Time on The Properties of FeCrAl Coating on Molybdenum Alloy

The FeCrAl coating was deposited on the surface of Molybdenum alloy by unbalanced magnetron sputtering, and the effect of deposition time on the composition, microstructure and properties of the coating was investigated. Characterized by XRD, SEM, German Standard (VDI3198(1991), indentation method) and ASTM C633-01 standard tensile analysis, the results show that the coating phase prepared at different deposition time is FeCrNi solid solution with BCC structure and the microstructure is ridge structure. With the increase of deposition time, the ridge structure on the surface of the film is more uniform, and its thickness increased from 21.6μm to 42.3μm. When the coating thickness is 42.3μm, the average bonding strength between the coating and the substrate is 39.7MPa, which meets the preparation requirements of the molybdenum alloy surface coating.

Simultaneous enhancement of mechanical and electrical/thermal properties of carbon fiber/polymer composites via SiC nanowires/graphene hybrid nanofillers

Carbon fiber (CF)/epoxy composites with hybrid nanofillers were prepared by electrophoretic deposition (EPD) of silicon carbide nanowires (SiCnws) on CFs, followed by in-situ grafting of graphene via chemical vapor deposition (CVD). The effects of SiC nanowires/graphene hybrid nanofillers on interlaminar shear strength (ILSS), flexural property, and through-thickness thermal conductivity of CF/epoxy composites were investigated. Due to the incorporation of SiCnws and graphene, the interfacial adhesion and the mechanical interlocking between CF and epoxy were improved significantly, resulting in an increase in ILSS and flexural strength. Moreover, the through-thickness electrical and thermal conductivity increased further with the increasing deposition time of graphene. It can be attributed to the hierarchical thermal conductive chains and networks that were formed by SiCnws deposited on the CF surface and the synergy between SiCnws and graphene. This strategy provides potential new ideas for the thermal management application of epoxy and its composites.

Electrical Properties and Thermal Annealing Effects of Polycrystalline MoS2-MoSX Nanowalls Grown by Sputtering Deposition Method

Straightforward growth of nanostructured low-bandgap materials is a key issue in mass production for electronic device applications. We report here facile nanowall growth of MoS2-MoSX using sputter deposition and investigate the electronic properties of the nanowalls. MoS2-MoSX nanowalls become gradually thicker and taller, with primarily (100)-plane growth directions, with increasing deposition time. Nanowalls combine with nearby walls when a rapid thermal annealing (RTA, 200 °C–500 °C) process is applied. All samples have conventional low-bandgap semiconductor behavior with exponential resistance increase as measurement temperature decreases. The 750 nm-thick MoS2-MoSX nanowalls have a sheet carrier mobility of up to 2 cm2·V−1·s−1 and bulk carrier concentration of ~1017–1019 cm−3 range depending on RTA temperature. Furthermore, perpendicular field-dependent magnetoresistance at 300 K shows negative magnetoresistance behavior, which displays resistance decay by applying a magnetic field (MR ratio in the −1 % range at 5 T). Interestingly, 400 °C RTA treated samples show a resistance upturn when applying an external magnetic field of more than 3 T. Our research suggests tuneability of MoS2 nanowall size and mesoscopic electronic transport properties.

Novel PVDF membrane with sandwich structure for enhanced membrane distillation

Membrane distillation (MD) holds great potential in the desalination of high concentration brines but need improvement to achieve sustained permeate flux and durable performance in long-term MD operation. In this study, a novel Janus membrane with sandwich structure was fabricated. Detailly, the microporous PVDF membrane was single-side modified with a bio-inspired hydrophilic polydopamine/polyethylenimine (PDA/PEI) coating, then a hydrophobic nanofiber layer was constructed via forcespinning on the other side as an anti-wetting layer. As the PDA/PEI deposition time increases from 0 to 1.5 h, the contact angle of the modified PVDF membrane surface decreases gradually from 124.6° to 31.3° with little change in membrane morphology and pore structures, resulting in an upward trend of permeate flux up to 50.9 LMH at a feed temperature of 70 °C. The rough forcespun nanofiber layer endows the membrane surface with good hydrophobicity, which brings improved LEP (136.4 kPa) and operation durability for the membrane during MD process. Moreover, numerical simulations were conducted to verify and predict the permeate flux variation of MD membranes under different operation conditions, revealing the superiority of the sandwich-structured Janus membrane combined with the experimental results. Finally, the optimized PDA-PVDF-NF membrane was used for the desalination of model inland brine, exhibiting stable MD performance with high permeate flux of 25 LMH, ~100% salt rejection, and excellent water recovery during a continuous operation as long as 96 h.

Vpliv časa nanašanja nanostebričastih TiZrN filmov z OAD-tehniko in hkratnim reaktivnim magnetronskim naprševanjem

Well-separated inclined nanocolumnar TiZrN films were grown on silicon-wafer substrates by reactive magnetron co-sputtering with the oblique-angle-deposition (OAD) technique. The crystal structure, thickness, morphology and chemical composition of the prepared TiZrN films were investigated with the X-ray diffraction technique at the grazing-incidence angle (GIXRD), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The length, diameter and tilt angle of the nanocolumnar TiZrN films were evaluated. The microstructure and chemical composition were analyzed with transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results indicated that the film crystallinity and physical morphology were influenced by the deposition time due to the self-annealing effect, which occurred during the nanocolumnar growth. Moreover, the hardness and surface wettability of the TiZrN films were studied using a nanoindentater and the water-contact-angle method, respectively. It was found that the hardness and hydrophobic surface of the TiZrN films decreased with the increasing deposition time.

Deposition Time-dependent Study of Structural and Optical Properties of PbS Thin Films Grown by CBD Method

Background: Thin films of PbS were prepared onto glass substrates by using a simple and cost-effective CBD method. Methods: The influence of deposition time on structural, morphology and optical properties have been investigated systematically. The XRD analysis revealed that PbS films are polycrystalline with preferred orientation in (200) direction. Enhancement in crystallinity and PbS crystallite size has been observed with an increase in deposition time. The formation of single-phase PbS thin films has been further confirmed by Raman spectroscopy. The surface morphology analysis revealed the formation of prismatic and pebble-like PbS particles and with an increase in deposition time, these PbS particles are separated from each other without secondary growth. The data obtained from the EDX spectra show the formation of high-quality but slightly sulfur-rich PbS thin films over the entire range of deposition time studied. Results and Conclusion: All films show an increase in absorption with an increase in deposition time and strong absorption in the visible and sub-bandgap regime of the NIR range of the spectrum with red-shift in band edge. The optical band gap shows a decreasing trend, as deposition time increases but it is higher than the bandgap of bulk PbS.

Large area coverage and controlled photoluminescence from vertically aligned ZnO nanorods on Cu substrates

ZnO nanorods were deposited on large area Cu foil using cathodic electrodeposition technique. The growth time was used as a control parameter for tuning the crystallinity as well as the length of nanorods. It is observed that the crystallinity improves with deposition time and the nanorods grow with a preferred orientation of 〈002〉. A typical circular area of 4 cm diameter was uniformly coated with ZnO nanorods. The contact angle decreases gradually from 108° to 71° as deposition time increases from 3 to 15 min. This marks the enhanced wettability of the surface. Further, the room temperature Photoluminescence (PL) spectra of these rods reveal that the near band edge UV emission (~3.3 eV) increases at the cost of defects induced visible emission, signifying improved crystallinity. The color rendering index of the 10-minute deposited sample is 90 and it shows a near white color temperature of 9013 K due to optimum emission coverage over the entire visible wavelength range.

Exploring the microstructural, optoelectronic properties of deposition time dependent Cu2Sn(S,Se)3 thin film synthesized by non-vacuum arrested precipitation technique

A novel chemical approach is utilized to synthesize Cu2Sn(S,Se)3 (CTSSe) thin films by non-vacuum arrested precipitation technique (APT) via controlled release of ions from complexed solution. Effect of deposition time on the microstructural and optoelectronic properties of CTSSe thin films was studied comprehensively. The optical absorption studies demonstrate a decrease in band gap energy from 1.84 to 1.62 eV as the deposition time increases. Nanocrystalline thin films with improved grain size were illustrated from XRD studies. The FESEM micrographs depict progress in surface microstructure from a bunch of nanospheres to aggregated and densely packed nanospheres. EDS spectrum confirms the stoichiometric formation of Cu2Sn(S,Se)3 thin film. While, the XPS spectrum validates Cu1+, Sn4+, S2-, Se2-valence states of the elements in CTSSe thin film. Furthermore, the photoelectrochemical cell performance of 0.3 % for bare CTSSe thin film was elucidated with cell configuration glass-FTO/CTSSe/(I-/I3-)/graphite without any post deposition treatments. Also, the lowering of charge transfer resistance from EIS measurements corroborates for improved photoconversion efficiency. Finally, synthesis of CTSSe thin films by a simple APT finds a promising approach to fabricate efficient CTSSe photocathode for photovoltaic applications.

Electrochemically produced battery‐type Ni(OH) 2 /Ni 3 Si electrodes

The fabrication, by an electrochemical process, of a new battery-type electrode material, is presented. Such materials are fabricated by direct current electrodeposition of Ni(OH)2 on lamellar Ni3Si. Microstructure and morphology of Ni(OH)2/Ni3Si electrodes were characterised. Cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic charge–discharge results revealed that they are battery-type electrodes. Increasing deposition time or decreasing discharge current can significantly increase the areal capacity. The areal capacity of Ni(OH)2/Ni3Si-20 with a discharge current of 20 mA is only 2.8% of that with 1 mA. However, the increasing deposition time will reduce the cyclic stability of the electrodes. The initial areal capacity of Ni(OH)2/Ni3Si-20 is twice that of Ni(OH)2/Ni3Si-10 with a discharge current of 10 mA, but after 1000 cycles, it can only maintain 59.3% of the initial value. This Letter is expected to provide a powerful reference and guidance for the preparation of electrodes with large areal capacity and cycle stability.

Fabrication of fluorine-doped tin oxide by using Indonesian local stannic chloride precursors with spin coating method

Fluorine-doped tin oxide is a thin layer of transparent conductive oxide, which has a function as a semiconductor. Fabrication of fluorine tin oxide from this research was expected to replace indium-doped tin oxide. Indium-doped tin oxide function as a commercial transparent conductive oxide. The raw material of indium was limited, so the price of indium is higher than fluorine. The material used are Indonesia local tin (IV) Chloride, ammonium fluoride, and methanol. Conductive liquids has made by the sol - gel method. Sol gel liquids doped with ammonium fluoride to make a high conductivity. The transmittance value at the 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 minutes deposition time were respectively 69.7; 43.6; 14.4; 14.1 and 34.7%. In this research, spin coating method under 3000 RPM on fix substrate temperature of 300°C. The results of the experiment shows, increased deposition time, make the thickness of the layer increased while resistivity and transmittance decreased. The optimum parameter for glass conductivity fabrication were obtained at 4 minutes time deposition, substrate temperature at 300°C has a resistivity of 125 k Ω, transmittance 14.1% and band gap energy 2.48 eV.

The effect of deposition time on the properties of titanium dioxide thin film prepared using CVD

This research aimed to investigate effect of deposition time on the structural, morphological properties and optical properties of the titanium dioxide (TiO2) thin film prepared using Chemical Vapour Deposition (CVD). This research involved two processes which are samples preparation process and characterisation process to fulfil the aim. The samples preparation process was done by synthesising TiO2 on indium thin oxide (ITO) substrates heated at 60 °C substrate temperature. Titanium butoxide used as the precursor for this chemical reaction was volatilised at 210 °C. Oxygen gas was flown at 1 litre per minute as the carrier gas. In order to study the effect of deposition time, the synthesise of the thin films were varied to 15, 30, 45 and 60 minutes. After synthesising process, the samples underwent thermal treatment via annealing process for 1 hour at 500 °C. For the characterisation process, Raman Spectroscopy technique was employed to investigate the structural properties of the samples. Apart from that, Field Emission Microscopy (FEM) technique, which was performed via FE-SEM, was employed to investigate the morphologies of the samples. Other than that, UV-Vis spectrometry was employed to analyse the optical properties of the samples. Analysis of data from Raman spectroscopy displayed four Raman Shifts for each sample which confirms that the samples exhibit TiO2 of anatase phases. Whereas, images from FE-SEM displayed reduction of nanoparticle clusters on the samples as the rate of deposition time increases. Meanwhile, UV-Vis analysis displayed transmittance of the samples ranging between 50% to 80% transmittance and each sample exhibits the same optical band gap at 3.25 eV.

A New Dual Site Catalyst Design Concept for Promoting Reaction Kinetics of the Oxygen Reduction Reaction

Introduction Oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) accounts for a substantial portion of the energy loss of the proton exchange membrane fuel cell system used for vehicle application. Current state of art ORR catalysts are typically Pt-alloy nanoparticles supported on carbon, of which surface Pt is solely the active site and their activity improvement is fundamentally limited by a “scaling relationship” [1]. In this study, we report the preparation of a SnOx/Pt−Cu−Ni heterojunctioned nanostructure as one potential strategy to break the scaling relationship in ORR. Experimental results confirm a significant activity enhancement compared with pristine Pt−Cu−Ni. Theoretical study suggests a dual-site cascade mechanism wherein the first two steps occur on SnOx sites, followed by transfer of the intermediate to adjacent Pt sites for the subsequent steps. This new catalyst design offers a plausible new approach to achieve high ORR activity on Pt alloys by introducing a second active site. Materials and Methods Pt−Cu−Ni alloy nanoparticles were synthesized by a solid-state chemistry method involving electrochemical treatment to generate a clean Pt surface prior to use in this study [2]. The as prepared Pt-Cu-Ni catalysts were first de-alloyed and then followed by immersion in SnCl2 solution for various time to coat with SnOx [3]. The resulting heterojunctioned catalysts were characterized by HR-TEM, XPS, XANES, as well as in electrochemical measurement to determine the activity and durability. The density functional theory (DFT) simulations were performed with the Quantum ESPRESSO package to calculate the energy states of reaction intermediates on different surface sites. Results and Discussion The conceptual design of the dual site catalyst, as shown in Figure 1(a). involves a possible migration of reaction intermediates during the steps of ORR. Such a migration should be driven by the difference in free energy of the sites. For proof-of-concept, we synthesized Pt−Cu−Ni nanoparticles and then deposited SnOx on the surface to form a heterojunctioned nanostructure (Figure 1(b)). SEM -EDX and XPS analyses confirmed that the SnOx content increased with deposition time, while the Pt:Cu:Ni ratio remained nearly unchanged before and after the deposition. XANES and high resolution XPS characterization suggest the oxidation state of the SnOx is primarily 4+. A decrease of electrochemical active surface area (ECSA) was observed as the deposition time (td) increases (Figure 1 (c)). The mass activity and specific activity (SA) both exhibit a volcano trend with respect to td with the highest values at td=5 min. The apparent SA increased by 40% as compared to the pristine Pt-Cu-Ni, and if only considering the interfacial sites, the estimated specific activity enhancement may be up to 10 folds (Figure 1(d)). While these results provide unambiguous experimental evidence of SnOx’s promoting effect, DFT simulation of the reaction pathways was performed to obtain insight into the possible mechanism (Figure 1(e)). The results suggest the SnOx and the neighboring Pt sites may have cooperated to find the most kinetically favored pathway (Figure 1(f)), wherein the O2 first protonated on SnOx sites to form *OOH and *O intermediates, and then the *O transfers to Pt sites to complete the remaining steps. Conclusion This study demonstrates a strategy to bypass the energy barrier bottleneck of ORR, providing one more dimension of design flexibility towards developing highly active electrode catalysts for fuel cell applications. References Kulkarni, A. et al., Chem. Rev. 2018, 118 (5), 2302−2312.Zhang, C. et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2014, 136 (22), 7805−7808.Shen, X. et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2019, 141(24), 9463-9467. Figure 1

Electrochemical Properties and Chemical Oxygen Demand Depending on the Thickness of Boron-Doped Diamond

In this study, boron-doped diamond (BDD) film was deposited by hot-filament chemical vapor deposition (HFCVD) using acetone as the carbon source and trimethyl borate (TMB) as the boron source with the aim of lowering the manufacturing cost of BDD electrodes. The BDD film was deposited for 12 and 60 h to observe changes in the morphological behavior of the film as well as subsequent changes in the electrochemical properties. The morphology of the BDD film was not affected by the deposition time, but the thickness increased with increasing deposition time. As the deposition time increased, the deposition rate of the BDD film did not increase or decrease; rather, it remained constant at 100 nm/h. As the thickness of the BDD film increased, an increase in the potential window was observed. On the other hand, no distinct change was observed in the electrochemical activation and catalytic activity depending on the thickness, and there were not many differences. Chemical oxygen demand (COD) was measured to determine the practical applicability of the deposited BDD film. Unlike the potential window, the COD removal rate was almost the same and was not affected by the increase in the thickness of the BDD film. Both films under the two deposition conditions showed a high removal rate of 90% on average. This study confirms that BDD electrodes are much more useful for water treatment than the existing electrodes.

The effect of nanoparticle sizes on the structural, optical and electrical properties of indium sulfide thin films consisting of In2S3 and In6S7 phases

Indium sulfide thin films consisting of In2S3 and In6S7 phases were synthesized onto microscope glass substrates with different nanoparticle size using the chemical bath deposition method (CBD). Immediately after obtaining the films, they were annealed at 400°C for 1 h in reduced media in order to get better crystallization. The effect of nanoparticle sizes on the structural, compositional, optical, and electrical properties of the films was investigated. The films were characterized by x-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive x-ray spectrometry (EDS), UV–Vis spectroscopy and sheet resistivity measurements. The XRD spectra revealed the existence of both the cubic In2S3 and monoclinic In6S3 phases. From the SEM micrographs, the deposited films showed dense and good coverage of the surface with cracks. Moreover, nanoparticle sizes increased from 53 nm to 142 nm with increasing deposition time as well as film thickness. With an increase in nanoparticle size, the S/In ratio in the films decreased from 1.74 to 1.21 showing sulfur deficiency in the deposited films. The direct band gap (Eg) of the films decreased from 3.35 eV to 2.70 eV with increasing nanoparticle size. The sheet resistivity of the films decreased from 1.69 × 107Ω/Sq to 4.61 × 103Ω/Sq. The obtained results demonstrate that nanoparticle sizes effected the structural, compositional, optical and sheet resistivity of the films.

Structural and physical characteristics of sputter deposited zirconium nitride thin films by sputtering at various time in Ar-N2 atmosphere

Zirconium nitride films were deposited by RF reactive magnetron sputtering at room temperature in an N2 and Ar ambient. The X-ray diffraction analysis indicated that the growth of ZrN with preferred orientations (111) and (200) on the soda-lame glass substrates was reached. The particle size formed on the surface of the synthesized layers increases from 15.9 to 42.1 nm as deposition time increases. The N/Zr ratio decreases from 2.0 to 1.43 with increasing deposition time from 10 to 30, and the average surface roughness increased from 0.88 to 5.58 nm. Increasing the deposition time reduced the bandgap from 2.91 to 2.06 eV and also increased the resistance from 19.84 × 10–6 to 40.69 × 10−6Ω cm. The thermal coefficient of resistance was 9.27 × 10–8 $$\frac{{\Omega \cdot {\text{cm}}}}{{^{ \circ } K}}$$ for the thickest sample and 5.26 × 10–8 $$\frac{{\Omega \cdot {\text{cm}}}}{{^{ \circ } K}}$$ for the thinnest sample. At a wavelength of 600 nm, the refractive index was 2.028 and 0.889 for the samples deposited for 10 and 30 min, respectively.

Numerical simulation of ash deposition behavior with a novel erosion model using dynamic mesh

In this paper, a piecewise sticking model that considers both particle viscosity and energy conservation upon collision was presented to predict the development of deposition on a temperature-controlled probe. Furthermore, a novel erosion model which takes into account both the energy consumed during particle impact and the melt fraction of the deposition surface was introduced to improve the accuracy of the simulation. The erosion model in this work is applicable in all stages of deposition growth of common coal ash. The influence of the furnace temperature was also investigated by setting up three cases (1473 K, 1523 K, and 1573 K). The predicted characteristics were compared with experimental data in a 300 kW furnace. The results show that the mass of impact decreases while the deposition efficiency increases with the increase of deposition time. Compared with the simulation without erosion, the relative deviation reduces from 41.61% to 12.88% for thickness and from 3.39% to 2.35% for surface temperature with the erosion model. Additionally, Higher furnace temperatures lead to higher deposition efficiency and higher surface temperature. However, high temperatures may also be a factor impeding the deposit particles to accumulate.

Optoelectronic properties of n-Ag2S nanotubes/p-Si heterojunction photodetector prepared by chemical bath deposition technique: An effect of deposition time

In this paper, silver sulfide (Ag2S) nanostructure film was prepared by chemical bath deposition (CBD) technique at different deposition times. The effect of deposition on the structural, optical and electrical properties of the Ag2S film is studied using x-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive x-ray (EDX), transmission electron microscope (TEM), and UV-Vis spectroscopy. X-ray diffraction investigation shows that the deposited films are crystalline in nature with monoclinic structure. SEM results revealed that the film morphology depends on the deposition time. The film deposited at 10hr has mixed of agglomerated nanoparticles and nanotubes (NTs) morphologies. Transmission electron microscope (TEM) revealed that the average diameter of the nanotubes was 60nm.The optical properties show that the average optical transmission of the film decreases as the deposition time increase. The optical energy gap of the deposited films was found to vary from 1.8eV to 2.17 eV at room temperature depending on the deposition time. The figures of merit of the n-Ag2S/p-Si heterostructure photodetector such as dark and illuminated current-voltage, linearity, responsivity, and specific detectivity have been investigated as a function of deposition time. The maximum responsivity of the photodetector was around 0.5A/W at 850nm for photodetector prepared at deposition time of 10hr.

Characterization of CuZnO Nanocomposite Thin Films Prepared from CuO–ZnO Sputtered Films

Copper oxide–zinc oxide (CuO–ZnO) thin films were prepared by a sputtering technique to examine the creation of a CuZnO thin-film nanocomposite. The base film was a zinc oxide layer. A copper oxide layer was deposited on glass coated with ZnO for different deposition times. The structure was examined by x-ray diffraction analysis. Plane (002) was detected for ZnO phase, while planes (111) and $$ \left( {\bar{1}11} \right) $$ were detected for CuO phase. The crystallite size was calculated for both ZnO and CuO. The crystallite size of CuO phases increased with increasing deposition time, whereas the size of crystals of ZnO phase decreased. The film morphology and roughness were evaluated by scanning electron microscopy. Agglomeration of fine particles was observed. The film roughness decreased from 0.0685 nm for base ZnO films to 0.0357 nm for 800 s CuO–ZnO films. Elemental analysis of the film components was carried out by energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy. The ratio of O atoms remained constant at 50 at.%, while the Zn content decreased from 50% for the base sample to 27.66% for the 800 s CuO–ZnO sample. Optical properties, such as the optical absorption spectra, optical transition, and refractive index of the prepared films, were investigated. The optical transition was affected by the CuO layer and the film thickness. The optical bandgap decreased from 3.258 eV for ZnO films with thickness of 107 nm to 3.162 eV for 800 s CuO–ZnO films with thickness of 163 nm. Nonlinear optical behavior was deduced from the optical parameters, and was enhanced by the presence of CuO layers, increasing from 4.151 × 10−11 esu for the ZnO sample to 4.434 × 10−11 esu for the 800 s CuO–ZnO sample. The photoluminescence spectra of the films were investigated and interpreted.