Tunable optical and nano-scale electrical properties of WO3 and Ag-WO3 nanocomposite thin films

WO3 and Ag-WO3 nanocomposite thin films have been synthesized from pure WO3 and Ag-WO3 composite pressed powder targets submitted to pulses generated by a frequency quadrupled Nd:yttrium aluminium garnet (YAG; k = 266 nm, s * 5 ns, m = 10 Hz) laser source. The irradiations were performed in low pressure oxygen atmosphere. The obtained results proved the possibility to tailor the synthesized thin films optical properties in the UV–Visible spectral region and their nano-scale electrical characteristics through the process parameters, as ambient oxygen pressure value during the thin films deposition and Ag concentration of the Ag-WO3 composite targets. The tunable optical and electrical features allow for the creation of new materials for future applications as photocatalysts, transparent conducting electrodes, electrochromic or chemical and biological sensor devices.