New nanocrystalline colored oxynitride thin films from Ti4+-functionalized ZnO nanocolloids

This contribution highlights our efforts to elaborate new colored layers of zinc-titanium oxynitrides nanomaterials for solar technologies. In order to get colored oxynitrides, one can perform an ammonia-induced replacement of oxygen (O2-) by nitrogen (N3-). This approach has been designed in our new low-cost colloidal sol-gel route to nanosized colored "ZnTiON" porous layers on glass. The nanocolloidal precursors solutions carrying Ti4+-functionalized ZnO nanoparticles were emphasized in UV-vis and dynamic light scattering (DLS) studies. Wet films prepared from these sots via dip coating of glass slides were pre-sintered at 400 degrees C in air and annealed under ammonia gas at temperatures between 500 and 800 degrees C. Above the dissociation temperature of ammonia, the spectra are progressively red-shifted on increasing the nitriding temperature. XRD, SEM and XPS-analysis of the "ZnTiON" nanostructured thin films are presented. (C) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.