Synthesis of WO3 thin films by surfactant mediated spray pyrolysis

WO3 thin films were prepared by surfactant mediated spray pyrolysis deposition on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) conductive glass using hexadecylthymethylammonium bromide (HTAB) as structure-directing agent. The crystalline structure, topography, electrical conductivity and optical properties were investigated as function of cationic surfactant concentration. High transparency and conductivity were obtained for the sample which contained the lowest amount of surfactant (50 ppm) in the spraying solution. Significant changes in the morphology were observed with increasing HTAB addition level; samples lost their homogeneity and porosity, while the layer roughness increased. The surfactant by-products resulted after annealing were investigated based on FTIR analysis and a decomposition scheme was proposed. The modified surface composition and morphology influenced the hydrophilic character of the samples.