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An X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy Study of Ultraviolet Photoannealing-Induced Surface Transformations of Sol–Gel Derived Zinc Oxide-Based Films

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Inorganic Materials Aims and scope

Abstract—

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy has been used to study structural evolution of zinc oxide synthesized by a sol–gel process adapted to flexible electronics. We assessed the effect of ultraviolet irradiation time on the atomic percentages of different Zn, O, and C species. Increasing the UV treatment time from 90 to 150 min has been shown to considerably reduce zinc concentration in the surface layer, which is accompanied by an increase in the percentage of carbon, predominantly in the form of highly oriented pyrolytic graphite. Photoactivation processes ensure completion of surface structure formation and lead to enrichment of the ZnO surface in oxygen with a binding energy of 531.5 eV, resulting in a zinc-deficient solid solution.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

In this study, we used equipment at the Resource Centre for Physical Surface Characterization Methods, Research Park, St. Petersburg State University.

Funding

This work was supported by the Russian Federation President’s Grant Council (State Support to Young Scientists of Russia and State Support to the Leading Scientific Schools of the Russian Federation Programs, project nos. MD-172.2021.4, SP-3720.2021.1, and MK-3541.2021.1.2).

The elemental analysis of ZnO was supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research, grant no. 20-03-00026.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Penza State University, 440026, Penza, Russia

    A. A. Karmanov, I. A. Pronin & N. D. Yakushova

  2. St. Petersburg State University, 199034, St. Petersburg, Russia

    A. S. Komolov

  3. St. Petersburg State Electrotechnical University, 197022, St. Petersburg, Russia

    V. A. Moshnikov

Authors
  1. A. A. Karmanov
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  2. I. A. Pronin
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  3. N. D. Yakushova
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  4. A. S. Komolov
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  5. V. A. Moshnikov
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to I. A. Pronin.

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The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

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Translated by O. Tsarev

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Karmanov, A.A., Pronin, I.A., Yakushova, N.D. et al. An X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy Study of Ultraviolet Photoannealing-Induced Surface Transformations of Sol–Gel Derived Zinc Oxide-Based Films. Inorg Mater 58, 1145–1151 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1134/S0020168522110073

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S0020168522110073

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