Effect of the triple (Al, Ga, In) doping in ZnO nanostructures on its transmission, conductivity, and stability for TCO applications

[Display omitted] •Study of effect of simultaneous doping of three elements in the ZnO nanostructures.•The triply doped ZnO were prepared using a cost-effective co-precipitation method.•The material is characterized for structural, optical and electrical properties.•Transparency and conductivity of triply doped ZnO is better than individually doped.•The doping of three elements improves the TCO properties and stability of ZnO. We report the effect of simultaneous doping of three elements aluminum (Al), gallium (Ga) and indium (In), in ZnO nanostructures on its transmission, conductivity, and stability. The triply doped ZnO nanostructures have been synthesized using co-precipitation method and the material has been characterized by various techniques. The results are compared with the undoped ZnO as well as ZnO doped with individual elements (i.e., Al/Ga/In). All the samples have been found possessing hexagonal wurtzite structure. The transparency, conductivity as well as stability (when exposed to high temperature and humidity) of the triply doped ZnO are found better than individually doped ZnO. Our results suggest that doping of three elements may give rise to significant improvement in the properties (transmission, conductivity, and stability), as required for transparent conductive oxide (TCO) applications.