SILAR Deposition of Ni(bpy)3X: {X = (NCS)2, (Fe(CN)5NO), and (Ag(CN)2)2} Thin Films on Glass Substrates

The authors focused on the preparation of thin layers based on hybrid materials (organometallic complexes) deposited onto glass substrates. The deposition experiments of [Ni(bpy)3](NCS)2, [Ni(bpy)3](Ag(CN)2)2, and [Ni(bpy)3](Fe(CN)5NO) were performed on glass slides (18 mm × 18 mm) by successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) method. The influence of some parameters, such as dipping cycle numbers (30, 60, and 120 dipping cycles), temperature (20°C, 30°C, 40°C, and 50°C), precursors concentration (10−3, 10−2, and 10−1 M), and the nature of the counteranions (NCS−, [Fe(CN)5NO]−2, [Ag(CN)2]−) were studied. Different methods (UV-Vis, SEM, FTIR, and XRD) were used to characterize the deposited layers to determine the absorption coefficient (α) and gap energy (Eg) of the materials.