Structure, optical and electrochromic properties of NiO thin films Sawaby, A; Selim, M S [Thin Films and Electron Microscope Department, National Research Center, Dokki, Cairo (Egypt)]; Marzouk, S Y [Basic Applied Science Department, Faculty of Engineering, Arab Academy of Science and Technology, P.O. Box 2033, Al-Horria, Heliopolis, Cairo (Egypt)]; Mostafa, M A [Physics Department, Faculty of Science, Beni-Suef University, Beni-Suef (Egypt)]; Hosny, A [Thin Films and Electron Microscope Department, National Research Center, Dokki, Cairo (Egypt)] 36 MATERIALS SCIENCE; ABSORPTION; ANNEALING; CRYSTAL STRUCTURE; DIP COATING; ELECTROCHROMISM; ENERGY GAP; GLASS; NICKEL OXIDES; OPTICAL PROPERTIES; PARTICLE SIZE; POLYCRYSTALS; REFRACTIVE INDEX; SOL-GEL PROCESS; SUBSTRATES; TEMPERATURE RANGE 0400-1000 K; THERMAL GRAVIMETRIC ANALYSIS; THIN FILMS; TRANSMISSION ELECTRON MICROSCOPY; X-RAY DIFFRACTION; CHALCOGENIDES; CHEMICAL ANALYSIS; COHERENT SCATTERING; CRYSTALS; DEPOSITION; DIFFRACTION; ELECTRON MICROSCOPY; ELECTRO-OPTICAL EFFECTS; FILMS; GRAVIMETRIC ANALYSIS; HEAT TREATMENTS; MICROSCOPY; NICKEL COMPOUNDS; OXIDES; OXYGEN COMPOUNDS; PHYSICAL PROPERTIES; QUANTITATIVE CHEMICAL ANALYSIS; SCATTERING; SIZE; SORPTION; SURFACE COATING; TEMPERATURE RANGE; THERMAL ANALYSIS; TRANSITION ELEMENT COMPOUNDS CHALCOGENIDES; CHEMICAL ANALYSIS; COHERENT SCATTERING; CRYSTALS; DEPOSITION; DIFFRACTION; ELECTRON MICROSCOPY; ELECTRO-OPTICAL EFFECTS; FILMS; GRAVIMETRIC ANALYSIS; HEAT TREATMENTS; MICROSCOPY; NICKEL COMPOUNDS; OPTICAL PROPERTIES; OXIDES; OXYGEN COMPOUNDS; PHYSICAL PROPERTIES; QUANTITATIVE CHEMICAL ANALYSIS; SCATTERING; SIZE; SORPTION; SURFACE COATING; TEMPERATURE RANGE; THERMAL ANALYSIS; TRANSITION ELEMENT COMPOUNDS Nickel oxide thin films were prepared by sol-gel dip coating process. Nickel acetate tetrahydrate [Ni(CH{sub 3}COO){sub 2}.4H{sub 2}O] has been used as the starting material with absolute ethyl alcohol to prepare NiO thin films on both glass and indium tin oxide glass (ITO) substrates with heat treatment at different annealing temperatures from 673 to 733 K. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) was studied for the xerogel sample. Polycrystalline structures of the prepared films were detected by X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), and the particle size was determined by Scherrer formula. The morphology and the structure of the prepared thin films were investigated by the transmission electron microscope (TEM). The optical properties of NiO thin films were examined. The optical constants such as the absorption coefficient ({alpha}), extinction coefficient (k), the energy gap (E{sub g}) and the refractive index (n) of the prepared films were determined. The effect of annealing temperature on the electrochromic behavior was observed providing that good electrochromic performance was T<713 K. Available from http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.physb.2010.05.015; Netherlands 2010-08-15 English Journal Article Journal Name: Physica. B, Condensed Matter; Journal Volume: 405; Journal Issue: 16; Other Information: DOI: 10.1016/j.physb.2010.05.015; PII: S0921-4526(10)00485-0; Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier Science B.V., Amsterdam, The Netherlands, All rights reserved. Medium: X; Size: page(s) 3412-3420 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physb.2010.05.015 [] 16 405 Journal ID: ISSN 0921-4526; PHYBE3; TRN: NL10S6044132634 NLN 2012-12-21 21405503