Indium-doped Tin Oxide Substrates Research Articles

Solution Processed of Solid State HTL of CuSCN Layer at Low Annealing Temperature for Emerging Solar Cell

High density and uniform Hole Transport Layer (HTL) Copper (I) thiocyanate (CuSCN) was prepared directly on Indium-doped Tin Oxide (ITO) substrate through two-step spin coating technique and followed by low temperature annealing process. A new solvent of Monoethanolamine (MEA) with no additive was introduced for the preparation and yet producing a comparable result of HTL for perovskite solar cell application. The CuSCN layer was characterized for its surface morphology, crystallinity and optical features by using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and Ultraviolet-Visible Spectroscopy (UV-Vis) respectively. Furthermore, the resistivity of the layer was also measured by I-V measurement. An optimized annealing temperature of 100 °C is obtained, resulting pristine morphology structure and high conductivity of 77.30 S/m. This paper is the first to report the use of MEA as a solvent for CuSCN layer, showing that the right combination of solvent use and annealing temperature can produce a good CuSCN structure. Thus, being able to produce HTL layers more easily, rapid and at minimal cost, in turn having a positive impact in reducing the cost of solar cell production.

Effect of substrate temperature on thermally evaporated CdS/CZTS for solar cell fabrication

The metal chalcogenides has a potential application in energy harvesting systems due to the good optical absorption, much abundance and suitable band potentials. In view of this, n-type Cadmium sulphide (CdS) thin films were thermally evaporated on conducting glass substrate (patterned Indium doped Tin Oxide (ITO) substrates, Ossila S211) followed by the p-type Copper Zinc Tin Sulphide (CZTS) films using nanocrystalline CZTS which in turn was obtained by mechanosynthesis at different milling rates. The mechanosynthesized CZTS nanoparticles and its corresponding films obtained by thermal evaporation were subjected to various characterization techniques such as XRD, UV–Vis-NIR spectroscopy and Hall Effect Measurement techniques in order to understand its physical properties, to access the rate of absorbance and to determine the type of conduction. Moreover, n-CdS as well as p-CZTS films were deposited at different substrate temperatures and studied the effect of temperature on the structural and optoelectronic behaviour of the respective films toward the fabrication of heterojunction solar cells. Finally, the p-n heterojunction was formed using n-CdS/p-CZTS films on patterned ITO substrates.

Investigation on influence of thickness variation effect of TiO2 film, spacer and counter electrode for improved dye-sensitized solar cells performance

The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of variation in the thickness of active materials (titanium dioxide (TiO2)), changes in thickness of spacer, and variation in the thickness of platinum (Pt) sputtered on indium doped tin oxide (ITO) as counter electrode for dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) using N719 dye. The mesoporous TiO2 was synthesized using soft-templating approach using cationic surfactant cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) with titanium isopropoxide (TIP). The mesoporous TiO2 nanoparticles paste was prepared by a bead-mill method then deposited on fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO) coated glass substrates with different thickness (12, 15 and 18 μm) with help of cast-coating. The Pt was sputtered on ITO substrate with different thickness (10, 50 and 100 nm). The spacing between mesoporous TiO2 active materials and Pt sputtered ITO substrate (counter electrode) was adjusted by different thickness of spacer (20, 40, 60 μm). The structural and morphological characterization of synthesized mesoporous TiO2 nanoparticles was characterization by XRD, SEM, TEM and TGA. The most optimized thickness of active materials (TiO2), spacer and Pt (counter electrode) were 15 μm, 40 μm and 100 nm, respectively and it was noticed that the selected parameter reveals improved conversion efficiency as 8.71 %, which was maximum at the optimized conditions.

Variations in photovoltaic parameters of CdTe/CdS thin film solar cells by changing the substrate for the deposition of CdS window layer

Herein, we report on the variation in photovoltaic (PV) parameters of CdTe/CdS thin-film solar cells fabricated by depositing Cadmium sulfide (CdS) window layers on soda lime, indium doped tin oxide (ITO), fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) coated glass substrates by chemical bath deposition (CBD) technique. X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns confirmed the cubic crystalline structure of the deposited CdS films and the highest diffraction intensity is observed in the film deposited on the FTO substrate. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images confirmed the homogenous, crack-free, and smooth nature of the films. The surface roughness values of the CdS films deposited on soda-lime, ITO, and FTO substrates were found to be 35.87, 27.49, and 14.32 nm, respectively. The band-gap values of the CdS films estimated from Tauc's plots are found to be in the range of 2.27–2.33 eV. The strong blue and green bands in PL spectra are found to peak at 560 nm. The peaks observed in the Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectra are corresponding to C-S, Cd-S, and S-C-N vibrations. To fabricate a CdTe/CdS cell, the CdTe layer is deposited on the ITO-CdS and FTO-CdS layers separately. A back contact of silver is pasted on the top layer to complete the solar cell structure and the variations in photovoltaic (PV) parameters were recorded and analyzed. The efficiencies of CdTe/CdS cells fabricated with ITO-CdS and FTO-CdS window layers were found as 8.47% and 9.65%, respectively.

Surface, optical and electrochemical performance of indium-doped ZnO/WO3 nano-composite thin films

Great demand on replacing emission and pollution-free materials for energy storage by traditional fossil fuels has led to investigating of high-performance electrochromic materials. Nano-composite for electrochromic device may be a good choice. In this paper, stack-structured indium-doped ZnO/WO3 nano-composite thin films were deposited on glass, indium-doped tin oxide (ITO) and fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO)-coated glass substrates, respectively. Surface, optical and electrochromic (EC) performance of the prepared nano-composite films has been investigated. Electrochromic impedance spectroscopy (EIS), cyclic voltammetry, repeating chronoamperometry (CA) and chronocoulometry (CC) measurements were taken. The Raman spectroscopy measurement shows that high-intensity peaks are related to ZnO wurtzite structure for all substrates. In the CA measurement, the rate of Li+ transfer between surface and electrolyte was faster for films coated onto ITO substrate. In addition, the intercalation/deintercalation of Li+ was obviously found faster for films onto ITO substrate due to roughness, structure differences than the other sample. As an advantage of our nano-composite material, the absence of current decay in the both coloration and bleaching stages has proved superiority and stability of films as well as indium contribution. The reversibility of stack-structured InZnO/WO3 nano-composite films was computed as 30 and 50% for the film with ITO and FTO substrates. The highest coloration efficiency value has calculated as 80 and 69 cm2/C for nano-composite thin films deposited onto FTO substrate @ 632 and 550 nm, respectively. Warburg impedance element values were determined from the equivalent circuit model. Also, calculated charges were determined for bleaching or coloring process for all films.

Electrocatalytic Oxidation of Ethinyl Estradiol by an Iron Oxide Nanoparticle/Nickel Phthalocyanine Supramolecular Electrode

Indium-doped tin oxide (ITO) substrates were surface-modified with layer-by-layer nanocomposite films of anionic nickel(II) tetrasulfonated phthalocyanine (NiTsPc) and positively charged iron oxide...

Improved water oxidation performance of ultra-thin planar hematite photoanode: Synergistic effect of In/Sn doping and an overlayer of metal oxyhydroxides

Hematite is a promising photoanode candidate with many favorable material properties, such as stability and suitable band-gap. However, there are some severe challenges, including high losses due to charge recombination and slow oxidation kinetics, which can be addressed by doping and addition of co-catalysts. Here, the effects of temperature driven diffusion of substrate impurities (doping) and subsequent surface modification by metal oxy-hydroxides (co-catalysts) have been studied for enhanced water-oxidation performance in photoelectrochemical (PEC) measurements. Diffusion of indium and tin from the indium-doped tin oxide (ITO) substrate into planar films of α-Fe2O3 photoanodes results in a photocurrent density (Jph) of 0.09 mA/cm2, corresponding to an approximate 9-fold enhancement over the control pristine α-Fe2O3 (0.01 mA/cm2) at 1.23 VRHE. A thin amorphous FeOOH coating over the In/Sn co-doped α-Fe2O3 photoanode improves the water oxidation performance further, with a 211 % enhancement in Jph at 1.23 VRHE and a 0.21 V cathodic shift in onset potential. Thin layers of NiOOH and FeNiOOH co-catalysts exhibit 100 and 155 % enhancement in Jph, respectively. Characterization and electrochemical measurements reveal that the enhanced performance is a result of reduced bulk recombination by temperature driven In/Sn substrate impurity doping and improved surface oxidation kinetics by the metal oxy-hydroxide overlayer. Especially deposition of FeOOH onto In/Sn co-doped α-Fe2O3 significantly reduces resistance at the semiconductor/electrolyte interface, leading to the shift in onset potential. Further, the results indicate that all the samples exhibit a quantitative correlation between the cathodic shift in photocurrent onset potential (Vonset) and flat band potential (Vfb).

Characteristics of Electron Transport Study of Composited Graphene-Zinc Oxide Thin Film Photoanode for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

Graphene-Zinc Oxide (Gr-ZnO) nanocomposites films were successfully synthesized via facile electrodeposition method in an aqueous solution under Gr concentration conditions. Gr, as a highly conductive carbon, acts as an anchor for ZnO nanosheets and plays a substantial role in controlling the degree of dispersion of ZnO nanosheets onto indium-doped tin oxide (ITO) substrate to form Gr-ZnO nanocomposite. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) and field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) analysis of Gr-ZnO nanocomposite samples confirmed that the presence of ZnO nanosheets with a high degree of dispersity and crystallinity which is well linked to the thin layer of Gr nanoparticle on ITO substrate. The surface roughness of the films found increased to ~270 nm on Gr-ZnO as compared to Gr ~44 nm and ZnO ~3 nm. Further, the x-ray diffraction spectroscopy (XRD) analysis showed the result is in good agreement with Raman spectroscopy study. The cyclic voltammetry (CV) of Gr-ZnO nanocomposite revealed that the effect of electron-hole recombination process was increased and the presence of Gr in ZnO photoanode provides the fastest redox reaction and hence offers the fastest electron transfer in photoanode.

A novel and sensitive electrochemical sensor based on nanoporous gold for determination of As(III).

Three-dimensional porous gold nanoparticles (NPG) were synthesized in situ on indium-doped tin oxide (ITO) substrates by a green and convenient one-step electrodeposition method to achieve super-sensitive As(III) detection. The introduction of NPG method not only greatly improves the electron transfer capacity and surface area of sensor interface but provides more active sites for As(III) enrichment, thus boosting sensitivity and selectivity. The sensor was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersion spectroscopy, differential pulse anode stripping voltammetry (DPASV), and electrochemical impedance to evaluate its morphology, composition, and electrochemical performance. The wall thickness of NPG was customized by optimizing the concentration of electroplating solution, dissolved electrolyte, deposition potential, and reaction time. Under optimal conditions, the electrochemical sensor showed a wide linear range from 0.1 to 50μg/L As(III), with a detection limit (LOD) of 0.054μg/L (S/N = 3). The LOD is far below 10μg/L, the recommended maximum value bythe world health organization for drinking water. Stability, reproducibility, and repeatability of NGP/ITO were determined to be 2.77%, 4.9%, and 4.1%, respectively. Additionally, the constructed sensor has been successfully applied to determine As(III) in three actual samples, and the results are in good agreement with that of hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry (AFS). Graphical abstract.

Influence of the Substrate on the Optical and Photo-electrochemical Properties of Monolayer MoS2.

Substrates influence the electrical and optical properties of monolayer (ML) MoS2 in field-effect transistors and photodetectors. Photoluminescence (PL) and Raman spectroscopy measurements have shown that conducting substrates can vary the doping concentration and influence exciton decay channels in ML-MoS2. Doping and exciton decay dynamics are expected to play a major role in the efficiency of light-driven chemical reactions, but it is unclear to what extent these factors contribute to the photo(electro)catalytic properties of ML-MoS2. Here, we report spatially resolved PL, Raman, and photo-electrochemical current measurements of 5-10 μm-wide ML-MoS2 triangles deposited on pairs of indium-doped tin oxide (ITO) electrodes that are separated by a narrow insulating quartz channel [i.e., an ITO interdigitated array (IDA) electrode]. Optical microscopy images and atomic force microscopy measurements revealed that the ML-MoS2 triangles lie conformally on the quartz and ITO substrates. The PL spectrum of MoS2 shifts and decreases in intensity in the ITO region, which can be attributed to differences in nonradiative and radiative exciton decay channels. Raman spectra showed no significant peak shifts on the two substrates that would have indicated a substrate-induced doping effect. We spatially resolved the photo-electrochemical current because of hole-induced iodide oxidation and observed that ML-MoS2 produces lower photocurrents in the quartz region than in the ITO region. The correlated PL, Raman, and photocurrent mapping data show that the MoS2/quartz interface diminishes fast nonradiative exciton decay pathways but the photocurrent response in the quartz region is likely limited by inefficient in-plane carrier transport to the ITO electrode because of carrier recombination with S vacancies in MoS2 or charged impurities in the quartz substrate. Nonetheless, the experimental methodology presented herein provides a framework to evaluate substrate engineering strategies to tune the (photo)electrocatalytic properties of two-dimensional materials.

Evaluation of the heterostructure ITO/BiVO4 under blue monochromatic light irradiation for photoelectrochemical application

In this paper, the semiconductor material BiVO4 was obtained by an adapted process of solution combustion synthesis, using poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG 6000) as an additional stabilizing agent, and deposited on indium-doped tin oxide (ITO) substrate, by the dip-coating deposition process, to build an ITO/BiVO4 thin film heterostructure, which can be used as photoanode in photoelectrochemical (PEC) cell. The ITO/BiVO4 photoanode has its performance evaluated by linear sweep voltammetry (LSV), chronoamperometry, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) techniques, under blue monochromatic light, provided by an InGaN LED source. The LSV curve shows that the photoactivity of the photoanode presents a drastic jump in the current density under illumination and negligible dark current density. Reproducibility of the electrode photoactivity is observed under light-chopped illumination. The decay profile of photocurrent suggests that despite of charge carriers recombination process occurring in the ITO/BiVO4 electrode, it still presents good photoelectrocatalytic efficiency. Additionally, the long-term current stability indicates that the current density stays stable, without considerable decay, for at least one hour. The steady-state photocurrent density obtained is equal 91 µA cm− 2. EIS results showed that under illumination, the charge transfer resistance (Rct) is considerably lower than the dark condition. The PEC performance evaluated for discoloration reaction in rhodamine B (RhB) and methylene blue (MB) shows that the photoelectrochemical system is quite efficient.

Synergies of co-doping in ultra-thin hematite photoanodes for solar water oxidation: In and Ti as representative case.

Solar energy induced water splitting in photoelectrochemical (PEC) cells is one of the most sustainable ways of hydrogen production. The challenge is to develop corrosion resistant and chemically stable semiconductors that absorb sunlight in the visible region and, at the same time, have the band edges matching with the redox level of water. In this work, hematite (α-Fe2O3) thin films were prepared onto an indium-doped tin oxide (ITO; In:SnO2) substrate by e-beam evaporation of Fe, followed by air annealing at two different temperatures: 350 and 500 °C. The samples annealed at 500 °C show an in situ diffusion of indium from the ITO substrate to the surface of α-Fe2O3, where it acts as a dopant and enhances the photoelectrochemical properties of hematite. Structural, optical, chemical and photoelectrochemical analysis reveal that the diffusion of In at 500 °C enhances the optical absorption, increases the electrode–electrolyte contact area by changing the surface topology, improves the carrier concentration and shifts the flat band potential in the cathodic direction. Further enhancement in photocurrent density was observed by ex situ diffusion of Ti, deposited in the form of nanodisks, from the top surface to the bulk. The in situ In diffused α-Fe2O3 photoanode exhibits an improved photoelectrochemical performance, with a photocurrent density of 145 μA cm−2 at 1.23 VRHE, compared to 37 μA cm−2 for the photoanode prepared at 350 °C; it also decreases the photocurrent onset potential from 1.13 V to 1.09 V. However, the In/Ti co-doped sample exhibits an even higher photocurrent density of 290 μA cm−2 at 1.23 VRHE and the photocurrent onset potential decreases to 0.93 VRHE, which is attributed to the additional doping and to the surface becoming more favorable to charge separation.

Radiation stability and reliability of Cu–ZnO/P3OT hybrid heterostructures under swift heavy ion irradiations

Hybrid heterostructures (HH's) were prepared by depositing conducting poly (3-octylthiophene) (P3OT) polymer and Cu-doped zinc oxide (Cu–ZnO) composites films onto indium-doped tin oxide (ITO) substrate using an ultra-sonication cast technique. The weight percentage (wt%) of Cu–ZnO was varied such as 3 wt% and 5 wt% for heterostructure studies. In the HH's, P3OT works as hole-transporting and an electron donor (i.e. hole acceptor) material, while the Cu–ZnO was used as an electron-transporting and hole donor (i.e. electron acceptor) material. The radiation stability and reliability of HH's was studied by performing in-situ current-voltage (I–V) measurements during swift heavy ion (SHI) irradiation by 80 MeV O6+ and 120 MeV Ag9+ ions at increasing ion fluences. Additionally, the in-situ capacitance-voltage (C–V) measurements at frequencies of 1 MHz and 5 MHz were also performed under both the ion irradiations as a function of ion fluences. It was observed that the SHI irradiation-induced secondary charged particles are mainly responsible for modifying the heterostructures properties by depositing energy in the hybrid layer, interfacial region, and ITO substrate. The modification mostly occurs in terms of irradiation-induced various types of defects at the interface of heterostructures. However, after irradiation, minor/insignificant changes in the I–V and C–V characteristics were observed reflecting the radiation stability and reliability of HH's. Therefore, this study may emerge out to be very fascinating for an in-depth understanding of the interaction processes exchanged by primary and secondary charged particles besides the possible applications in radiation harsh environment of such hybrid materials.

Au nanoparticle-poly(ionic liquid) nanocomposite electrode for the voltammetric detection of triclosan in lake water and toothpaste samples

Triclosan (TCS), a powerful bactericide agent found in personal care products, has been recently recognized as a contaminant of emerging concern, with endocrine disrupting chemical activity, and whose detection in environmental, biological and/or PCP samples is of great concern nowadays. Therefore, this contribution describes indium-doped tin oxide (ITO) substrates modified with Au nanoparticle-poly(ionic liquid) (Au-PIL) nanocomposite films for the voltammetric detection of TCS in lake water and toothpaste samples. The electroanalytical performance evaluated by cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV), shows the modified electrode oxidizes TCS at much higher oxidation currents than bare ITO. At optimized conditions, the analytical method is linear (R2 > 0.99) in the selected working range (10–60 µmol L−1), presents a sensitivity of 57.1 µA cm−2/mol L−1•and a limit of detection of 0.098 µmol L−1 (28.3 µg L−1). TCS determinations are successfully carried out in spiked lake water samples showing that the electrode response is not affected by such a complex matrix. The concentration of TCS found in a commercial brand toothpaste, simultaneously determined by voltammetry and HPLC, is similar (95% confidence level, t-test) between both techniques and comparable to that described in the product package.

Fabrication of TiO2-CuInS2 nanocomposite on ITO substrate via liquid carbon dioxide coating

TiO2-CuInS2 is one of the promising materials for 3D nanocomposite solar cells. To utilize for 3D nanocomposite solar cells, TiO2-CuInS2 should well deposited onto transparent conducting oxide such as indium doped tin oxide (ITO). High pressure coating with liquid carbondioxide (l-CO2) was successfully deposited TiO2-metals chalcogenide onto ITO substrate. Further heat treatment (oxidation and sulfurization) lead the formation of CuInS2 from metals chalcogenide deposited on the mesoporous TiO2. The formation of CuInS2 on the was confirmed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectroscopy. The atomic ratios of deposited CuInS2 were nearly stoichiometric after sulfurization. The crystal growths of CuInS2 were controlled by adjusting the number of coating cycles.

Development of organic/inorganic PANI/ZnO 1D nanostructured hybrid thin film solar cell by soft chemical route

Polyaniline (PANI)/zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods hybrid solar cell device was fabricated via a two-step process. The first step involved soft chemical synthesis of ZnO nanorods thin film on the indium-doped tin oxide (ITO) substrate and subsequent annealing in air at 300 °C. The second step of involved chemisorption of PANI on the surface of the ZnO nanorods by Doctor Blade Method. The fabricated heterojunction films were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM), fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), and Raman spectra. The results confirmed chemical interactions between PANI and ZnO and thus the formation of the heterojunction. Both the PANI coated pristine and annealed ZnO nanorods thin films were studied for their solar cell characteristics. The results of solar cell measurements showed that the overall light-conversion efficiency of PANI coated pristine ZnO thin film to be ~ 80% higher than for PANI coated annealed ZnO thin film. This is attributed to more effective charge separation and faster interfacial charge transferring occurred in the pristine ZnO thin films.

Highly Sensitive As3+ Detection Using Electrodeposited Nanostructured MnOx and Phase Evolution of the Active Material during Sensing.

A simple, one-step electrodeposition approach has been used to fabricate MnOx on an indium-doped tin oxide substrate for highly sensitive As3+ detection. We report an experimental limit of detection of 1 ppb through anodic stripping voltammetry with selectivity to As3+ in the presence of 10 times higher concentrations of several metal ions. Additionally, we report the simultaneous phase evolution of active material occurring through multiple stripping cycles, wherein MnO/Mn2O3 eventually converts to Mn3O4 as a result of change in the oxidation states of manganese. This occurs with concomitant changes in morphology. Change in the electronic property (increased charge transfer resistance) of the material due to sensing results in an eventual decrease in sensitivity after multiple stripping cycles. In a nutshell, this paper reports stripping-voltammetry-induced change in morphology and phase of as-prepared Mn-based electrodes during As sensing.

Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy analysis of ZnO films: the effect of Mg doping

ABSTRACTPure and Mg-doped ZnO films have been successfully grown on indium-doped tin oxide (ITO) substrates by simple chemical spray pyrolysis and their crystallographic properties characterised using X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements in the range . The XRD measurements revealed that all samples have a hexagonal wurtzite crystal structure and a polycrystalline nature. The structural parameters of the samples were evaluated as a function of Mg content. The electrical properties of the films were evaluated using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements. The circuit parameters were obtained by an equivalent circuit model presuming certain corrosion features of the synthesised films. Additionally, open-circuit potentials and the Bode approximation were used to create a correlation between structural changes resulting from Mg content addition and the variation in the corrosion behaviour of the films.

Structural, optical, and electrical evolution of sol–gel-immersion grown nickel oxide nanosheet array films on aluminium doping

We developed aluminium (Al)-doped nickel oxide (NiO) nanosheet arrays film on the indium-doped tin oxide (ITO) substrate via sol–gel immersion method using nickel nitrate hexahydrate and aluminium nitrate nonahydrate as precursor and dopant materials, respectively. The Al-doping concentrations were varied from 0 to 2 at.%. Uniform Al-doped NiO nanosheet array films were observed on the substrate; the denser and smaller size of the NiO nanosheets were obtained at higher Al-doping concentrations. The growth mechanism was proposed. The crystallinity of Al-doped NiO nanosheet deteriorated at higher doping concentration. Meanwhile, the crystallite size, lattice parameter, and interplanar spacing were reduced with the doping quantity. The compressive strain, tensile stress, dislocation density, and band gap of the Al-doped NiO upsurged at higher doping concentration. The current–voltage measurement results revealed that the resistivity increased after the doping process up to 2 at.%. The Raman spectra showed that the doped samples exhibit blue-shift and decreased intensity of the Raman peaks.

Correlation between photoelectrochemical and photoluminescence measurements of Ag-doped ZnO/ITO photoanode

Silver-doped zinc oxide (SZO) thin films have been deposited onto indium-doped tin oxide substrates (ITO) using sol–gel spin-coating technique with different Ag doping content (1, 2 and 5% Ag). The effect of silver incorporation on structural, morphological, optical and photoelectrochemical (PEC) properties of the SZO films was investigated. Ag incorporation resulted in an enhanced grain size and thickness of elaborated SZO films. Scanning electron micrographs exhibited a uniform distribution of spherical grains with particle size increment after doping. Band gap energies were found to increase after Ag doping. Photoluminescence (PL) measurements revealed that the energy band gaps of the films were in the UV region. As compared to pure ZnO thin film, the samples are more photoactive, and the film containing 2% Ag yielded the highest photocurrent. A correlation study between PEC and PL measurements of Ag-doped ZnO/ITO photoanode leads to a reverse variation. Charge transfer processes at the ZnO–electrolyte interface were identified by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy.