The optical and electrical properties of V2O5-TiO2/PI Nanocomposite film prepared by the Sol-Gel method

•Nanoscale V2O5-TiO2 composite film was prepared by sol-gel method and post-annealing process on polyimide (PI) substrate.•V2O5-TiO2/PI composite film had better optical and electrical properties compared to V2O5/PI film.•Nanoscale V2O5-TiO2 composite film had favorable working stability while maintaining the flexible properties of PI substrate. In this study, nanoscale V2O5 film and V2O5-TiO2 composite film were prepared by the sol–gel method and post-annealing process utilizing polyimide (PI) as the substrates. The properties of the composite films were characterized by examining the surface morphology, elemental composition, and optical and electrical properties. The results demonstrate that the films maintain the flexibility of the substrate, while TiO2 doping effectively enhances the optical and electrical properties of the V2O5/PI. In the range of 750–1200 nm, the maximum transmittance of the V2O5-TiO2/PI film is increased by 5.77 % compared to the V2O5/PI film. At room temperature, the resistance of the film was significantly reduced by 96.4 % compared to the V2O5/PI film. In the context of thermotropic phase transitions, the phase transition temperature of V2O5-TiO2/PI film decreased to 213 ℃. Through many times repeated bending and temperature cycling, the films can maintain good optical and electrical properties, which is expected to be applied to flexible semiconductors and integrated optoelectronic devices.