Semiconductor-to-metal transition in nanocomposites of wide bandgap oxide semiconductors

•Semiconductors-to-metal transition in nanocomposites.•An insight into the existing model/s of temperature-dependent charge transport.•The tailoring the defects induced disorder into the lattice by swift heavy ions.•The reported results are consistent with quantum correction to conductivity model.•The validity of the weak localization model to the composite systems is demonstrated.