Formation and properties of ZrO2–Cu composite nanoglass films

Abstract Unlike conventional amorphous materials without grain boundaries and dislocations, nanoglasses consist of amorphous nanoparticles and glass-glass interfaces, which results in unique properties. In this work, we have developed a ZrO2–Cu composite nanoglass by multi-target magnetron co-sputtering, and its microstructure, optical and electrical properties have been studied by using aberration-corrected transmission electron microscope, spectroscopic ellipsometry, UV–Visible spectrophotometer and Hall measurements. It is found that Cu is enriched into the amorphous interfacial region. The ZrO2–Cu composite nanoglass shows high visible light transmittance (over 70%), high refractive index (1.98–2.08) and large optical band gap (5.0–5.7 eV). As the Cu content increases, the electrical properties are also improved. The enrichment of Cu at the interface further provides a new route for the preparation of 2D nano-conducting networks.