A STUDY ON THE HYDROGEN INTERCALATION INTO RF-MAGNETRON SPUTTERED AMORPHOUS WO3 FILM USING CYCLIC VOLTAMMETRY COMBINED WITH ELECTROCHEMICALQUARTZ-CRYSTAL MICROBALANCE TECHNIQUE

The present work involves hydrogen intercalation into and deintercalat ion from amorphous WO3 film prepared by radio frequency (rf) magnetron sputtering method in 0.1 M H2SO4 solution by means of cyclic electrog ravimetric curve obtained simultaneously with cyclic voltammogram. The results obtained from EQCM measurement were satisfactorily analysed t o validate the results obtained from successive cyclic voltammetry. Th e irreversible mass change, based upon irreversible trap sites produce d and internal stresses developed during the sputter deposition of the hydrated WO3 film, is extremely reduced with cycling and by dehydrati on at the early cycles. Water absorbed chemically into the dehydrated film promotes the hydrogen intercalation into and deintercalation from the film on the one hand and the degradation of the film on the other hand. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.