Synthesis and characterization of antireflective Ag@AgCl nanocomposite thin films

•First synthesis of Ag@AgCl nanocomposite thin films by spray pyrolysis technique.•XRD, XPS and Raman characterizations showed that the as-deposited films were subjected to compressive and tensile strains.•Optical characterization showed the performance of Ag@AgCl as antireflecting (AR) layer for silicon solar cell.•The films prepared at 350 °C exhibited localized surface Plasmon resonance (LSPR) peak at 704 nm due to embedded Ag NPs..•The presence of Ag NPs was demonstrated by the TEM analysis. Silver chloride thin films were easily prepared for the first time by direct spraying of silver chloride (AgCl) solution with low molarity on glass substrates heated at 200 °C, 250 °C, 300 °C and 350 °C. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) data showed that the films have cubic symmetry and are subject to compressive and tensile strains. Transmission electron microscopy revealed the presence of Ag nanoparticles (NPs) of different sizes embedded in AgCl thin films. These nanoparticles were roughly spherical and well crystallized in the case of the film prepared at 350 °C. The Raman and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy confirmed the XRD results. The UV–vis-NIR spectroscopy indicated a low reflectance with antireflecting properties and high optical transmission superior to 80 % at 350 °C. The obtained films have wide indirect band gap and exhibit localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) peak at 407 nm at deposition temperature of 350 °C due to the presence of Ag NPs.