Spray-Pyrolyzed Thin Films of GO, TiO₂, ZnO, and SnO₂: A Comparative Structural and Morphological Study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32792/utq/utjsci/v13i1.1618Keywords:
Graphene Oxide, GO nanocomposites, metal oxide, thin film, spray pyrolysis.Abstract
This study examined the optical characteristics of graphene oxide (GO) and its nanocomposites (GO@TiO₂, GO@ZnO, and GO@SnO₂). The nanocomposites were prepared using a hydrothermal method. X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), and atomic force microscopy (AFM) were used to investigate the structure and morphology of the materials.
The XRD diffractograms confirmed the successful integration of metal nanoparticles onto GO sheets. For GO@ZnO, characteristic diffraction peaks confirmed the presence of ZnO nanoparticles. For GO@SnO₂, peaks corresponding to crystallographic planes (110), (101), (200), (211), (220), and (112) confirmed the SnO₂ phase. For GO@TiO₂, peaks associated with planes (001), (101), (004), (200), and (110) confirmed the TiO₂ phase. The pictures seen in the crystallographic plans (110), (101), (200), (211), (220), and (112) for the nanocomposite GO@SnO₂ confirm the creation of the phase SnO₂. Furthermore, the development of the GO@TiO₂ nanocomposite is confirmed by the images associated with plans (001), (101), (004), (200), and (110), which are characteristic of the phase TiO₂. EDX analysis revealed the presence of oxygen-containing groups characteristic of GO and confirmed the incorporation of metal oxide nanoparticles within the nanocomposites. AFM investigations showed that the introduction of nanoparticles resulted in a decrease in surface roughness and altered the topography of GO sheets. FESEM images further confirmed the morphological changes, showing spherical ZnO nanoparticles, leaf-like SnO₂ structures, and agglomerated TiO₂ grains on GO surfaces.
Received: 13-04-2026
Revised: 30-05-2026
Accepted: 31-05-2026
References
M.K. Araújo, A.S. Carvalho, A.R. Santos, E. Padrón-Hernández, E.H. Falcão, Influence of graphene oxide and reduced graphene oxide on TiO2-reinforced flexible poly (vinyl alcohol) films for electromagnetic interference shielding, Journal of Alloys and Compounds 1010 (2025) 177671.
Z. Zhang, Evolution and preparation of graphene oxide and deep learning image characterization, in: Journal of Physics: Conference Series, IOP Publishing, 2025: p. 012028. https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1742-6596/2961/1/012028/meta (accessed April 6, 2026).
A. Nadtochiy, A.M. Gorb, B.M. Gorelov, O. Polovina, O. Korotchenkov, Graphene-Based Polymer Nanocomposites: Models and Applications, Springer Nature Singapore, Singapore, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-97-2792-6.
V. Pasindu, P. Yapa, S. Dabare, "I. Munaweera, Multifunctional transition metal oxide/graphene oxide nanocomposites for catalytic dye degradation, renewable energy, and energy storage applications" RSC Advances 15 (2025) 33162–33186.
O. Alami, R. Laurent, S. El Kazzouli, N. El Brahmi, A.-M. "Caminade, Dendrimers and graphene oxide: An overview on combination, properties and applications" Coordination Chemistry Reviews 558 (2026) 217781.
J. Yang, J. Zhang, M. Yusoff, N.A. Roslan, M.H. "Razali, Titanium dioxide nanowires and reduced graphene oxide nanocomposite coated gellan gum film for drug delivery to enhance skin regeneration" Digest Journal of Nanomaterials & Biostructures (DJNB) 20 (2025). https://storage.imrpress.com/IMR/1972208059049676800/application/301-314.pdf (accessed April 6, 2026).
M. Siahsahlan, S.M. Aref, H. Naghshara, R. "Azmayesh, The effects of reduced graphene oxide amount on the photocatalytic performance of TiO2 nanoparticles for hydrogen evolution" International Journal of Hydrogen Energy 142 (2025) 318–329.
A.S. AlShammari, M.M. Halim, F.K. Yam, N.M. Kaus, "Synthesis of Titanium Dioxide (TiO2)/Reduced Graphene Oxide (rGO) thin film composite by spray pyrolysis technique and its physical properties" Materials Science in Semiconductor Processing 116 (2020) 105140.
Y. Qiao, M. Li, Y. Zhao, X. Cheng, J. Chen, S. Yang, L. Ni, Y. Gong, S. Shi, "Stable dopamine-based ink for facile fabrication of robust and efficient fog-collectors" Materials Today Chemistry 42 (2024) 102345.
R.P. Reshma, N.S. Abishek, K.N. "Gopalakrishna, Synthesis and characterization of gr aphene oxide, tin oxide, and reduced graphene oxide-tin oxide nanocomposites" Inorganic Chemistry Communications 165 (2024) 112451.
J. Wei, X. Hu, Y. Li, Z. Bian, K. Yan, D. Wu, "3D-printed piezoelectric ceramics with auxetic structure for high-performance sensing applications" Ceramics International 51 (2025) 2509–2517.
S. Li, S. Xia, X. Ma, L. Du, Y. Li, Z. Tang, Z. Wu, W. Zhang, "Graphene–Based Two‐Dimensional Nanomaterials: From Scalable Synthesis" Interfacial Mechanism to Emerging Biomedical Applications, Carbon Neutralization 5 (2026) e70121. https://doi.org/10.1002/cnl2.70121.
N. Rashidi, N.S. Harasymowicz, A. Savadipour, N. Steward, R. Tang, S. Oswald, "F. Guilak, PIEZO1-mediated mechanotransduction regulates collagen synthesis on nanostructured 2D and 3D models of fibrosis" Acta Biomaterialia 193 (2025) 242–254.
B. Peng, X. Qi, L. Qiao, J. Lu, Z. Qian, C. Wu, Z. Xue, X. Kou, "Nanocomposite-Enabled Next-Generation food packaging: A comprehensive review on advanced Preparation Methods, functional Properties" preservation Applications, and safety considerations, Foods 14 (2025) 3688.
M. Kigozi, B.N. Ezealigo, A.P. Onwualu, N.Y. Dzade, "Hydrothermal Synthesis of Metal Oxide Composite Cathode Materials for High Energy Application, in: F.I. Ezema, C.D. Lokhande, R. Jose (Eds.)" Chemically Deposited Nanocrystalline Metal Oxide Thin Films, Springer International Publishing, Cham, 2021: pp. 489–508. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-68462-4_19.
J. Singh, D.D. Nguyen, P. Leclere, P. Nguyen-Tri, "Recent Advancements in Graphene-Based Nanocomposites for Enhanced Photocatalysis in Environmental Remediation: A Comprehensive Review" Reviews Env.Contamination (Formerly:Residue Reviews) 263 (2025) 13. https://doi.org/10.1007/s44169-025-00086-4.
R. S. Yousif, "Examination of the structural, morphological, and self-cleaning characteristics of graphene oxide-based nanocomposite thin films," Results in Physics, p. 108410, 2025.
Z.M. Talib, A.I. Hassan, J.A. Saimon, "Structural and optical properties of graphene-ZnO nanohybrid thin films synthesized by spray pyrolysis" Journal of Applied Sciences and Nanotechnology 2 (2022) 1–9.
J.-D. Hwang and Z.-J. Hong, "Enhancing the Schottky-barrier height by inserting a thin MgO layer between Au and annealed-ZnO," Materials Research Bulletin, vol. 144, p. 111478, 2021.
F. Bayati, M.K. Mohammadi, R.J. Yengejeh, A.A. Babaei, "Ag2O/GO/TiO2 composite nanoparticles: synthesis, characterization, and optical studies" Journal of the Australian Ceramic Society 57 (2021) 287–293.
A. Piarristeguy, R. Nuernberg, D. Jouglard, M. Ramonda, R. Arinero, A. Pradel, M. Neyret," High-resolution electrical characterization of RuO2-borosilicate glass composites" Journal of Alloys and Compounds 876 (2021) 160123.
N. Akhtar, M. Rani, A. Mahmood, K. Tariq, G. Murtaza, A.A. Alothman, R.S. AL-zahrani, S. Ali, N.K. Janjua, "A. Shah, Synthesis and characterization of graphene oxide-based nanocomposite NaCr2O4/GO for electrochemical applications" Journal of Materials Research and Technology 15 (2021) 6287–6294.
T. Zinchenko, E. Pecherskaya, S. Gurin, M. Novichkov, V. Alexandrov, G. Kozlov, "Optimization of Deposition Parameters for Thin-Film Semiconductor Structures via Spray Pyrolysis" in: 2025 IEEE 26th International Conference of Young Professionals in Electron Devices and Materials (EDM), IEEE, 2025: pp. 130–134. https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/11096645/ (accessed April 7, 2026).
Downloads
Published
License
Copyright (c) 2026 University of Thi-Qar Journal of Science

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.











