Physicochemical analysis was carried out to obtain the species distribution diagrams (SDDs) for the deposition of ZnO films as a function of OH ⁻ ion concentration ([OH ⁻ ]) in the reaction solution.

ZnS films were deposited onto glass substrates by the chemical bath technique at temperatures from 60 to 90°C. Zinc chloride, potassium hydroxide, ammonium nitrate, and thiourea were used as chemical components. According to the species distribution diagrams, the concentration of the chemical components were maintained constant except for thiourea whose concentration is required to decrease when the bath temperature increases, in order to maintain constant the Zn(OH)^{2 −}₄/HS⁻ ions concentration. To investigate the kinetic of growth of the ZnS films, their thicknesses were measured as a function of deposition time and bath temperature. The activation energy value estimated for the growing process was E_a = 44.9 kJ/mol which is typical for chemical reactions. The mean value of the bandgap energy of the films was 3.67 eV with optical transmittances up to 80% for all bath temperatures. The rms-roughness of the deposited films was observed to decrease when the bath temperature increases. Results of X-ray diffraction analysis on deposited films reveal a cubic (111) as preferential orientation. Additionally, SEM-EDS results of the ZnS films shows a stoichiometry ratio of [Zn/S] = 0.4–0.6 for all deposition times and bath temperatures.

A physicochemical analysis was performed on the solution used for synthetizing zinc sulfide (ZnS) films by chemical bath; such solution contained zinc chloride, potassium hydroxide, ammonium nitrate and thiourea as chemical reagents. Solubility curves and species distribution diagrams were used to obtain the best conditions for ZnS deposition in a wide range of bath temperatures between 25 and 90°C. Solubility curves evidenced the necessity to adjust the thiourea concentration for each bath temperature in order to obtain enough amounts of sulfur ions needed for ZnS formation. The thiourea concentrations were fixed at 0.2 M (90°C), 0.6 M (60°C), 1.25 M (40°C), and 2.25 M (25°C) to get higher quality films. Characterization results of films deposited at the conditions described above showed the films to have a bandgap energy value between 3.65 and 3.72 eV, stoichiometry of [Zn]/[S] ≈1, and homogeneous and agglomerate-free surfaces, which make them proper for solar cells applications.

Copper oxide (CuO) films were deposited onto glass substrates by the microwave assisted chemical bath deposition method, and varying the pH of the solution. The pH range was varied from 11.0 to 13.5, and the effects on the film properties were studied. An analytical study of the precursor solution was proposed to describe and understand the chemical reaction mechanisms that take place in the chemical bath at certain pH to produce the CuO film. A series of experiments were performed by varying the parameters of the analytical model from which the CuO films were obtained. The crystalline structure of the CuO films was studied using X-ray diffraction, while the surface morphology, chemical composition, and optical band-gap energy were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and UV–Vis spectrophotometry, respectively. The CuO films obtained exhibited a monoclinic crystalline phase, nanostructured surface morphology, stoichiometric Cu/O ratio of 50/50 at%, and band-gap energy value of 1.2 eV.