Improved optical performance of CdO films prepared with CTAB as surfactant

The influence of surfactant cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) on structural, morphological and optical properties of CdO films has been investigated. Five series of CdO films were successfully prepared by successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction method with the assistance of CTAB. These CdO films were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and UV–vis spectroscopy. The CTAB caused in a decrease in crystallite size but an increase in the optical band gap of CdO films. From the optical investigations, it was observed that the transmittance of the pure film was about 2% and it increased dramatically to 37% for 2?M% CTAB added CdO films at the wavelength of 1100?nm. The results show that the amount of CTAB played an important role in determining the physical properties of the CdO nanostructures.