XPS and some surface characterizations of electrodeposited MgO nanostructure

Growth conditions, structural, and optical properties of MgO nanostructure have been investigated. Surface composition and shift in binding energy of Mg at 50.8 eV due to oxidation were examined by core‐level spectroscopy. The SEM showed that the film is dense, and grain growth and crystallinity are enhanced by post‐deposition annealing. Grain distribution was appraised within the confinement of 24.51 µm2 from the selected scan areas. X‐ray diffraction studies indicated prominent peaks, which are attributed to (111), (200), and (220) reflections from fairly crystallized and randomly oriented MgO thin film. Plane (111) is found to be the preferred orientation of the film. The film transmitted well across the visible spectrum and the estimated energy band gap is 5.41 eV. Absence of catalyst in the electrolyte solution aided the purity of the sample. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.