Preparation of VO-Ink for the Fabrication of VO Thin Films by the Spin Coating Method.

This article reports the preparation of VO ink via a novel chemical route. The prepared VO ink has been spin coated for the synthesis of VO thin films on glass substrates. The synthesized VO thin films were annealed at 300-400 °C in air and characterized by different techniques. The X-ray diffraction data reveal the phase pure VO compound with polycrystalline nature. The scanning electron microscopy micrographs unravel that the VO thin films are smooth with few nanoflakes presented on the surfaces. An optical study reveals that transmittance and bandgap of the VO thin films decrease with annealing temperature. The bandgap of the films varies in the range of 2.8-2.9 eV. These findings have opened a new avenue for the preparation of metal oxide ink. The prepared VO ink is promising for the manufacture of low-cost VO-based photoelectrochemical cells.