Structure and properties of Ag embedded aluminum doped ZnO nanocomposite thin films prepared through a sol–gel process

Aluminum doped zinc oxide transparent conducting thin films with embedded silver nanoparticles were prepared by a sol–gel method. Silver doping was found to enhance the crystallization of the aluminum doped zinc oxide phase. However, the precipitation of Ag inhibits the grain growth of aluminum doped zinc oxide. The Ag particle size was increased from 30 to 70 nm as Ag concentration increased from 0.01 to 0.2 M after firing at 650 °C. The interconnected network of Ag phases provides effective conducting paths that reduced the electrical resistivity of the films to 4.2 × 10− 4 Ω cm. The optical transmission of the films are greater than 80% in visible wavelength and shows an absorption band towards a longer wavelength at a higher Ag concentration.