Production and characterization of titanium and iron oxide nano-sized thinfilms

We present a simple and reproducible method to obtain TiO2 and Fe2O3 mixed- oxide thin films by reactive radio-frequency sputtering. The influence of i ron concentration on the structural properties of the layers has been studi ed. Structural characterization carried out by electron microscopy analysis , allowed one to correlate the inhibition of the grain growth of titania to the presence of iron oxide and to its segregation at grain boundaries, Thi s behavior should be ascribed to a superficial-tension phenomenon. As a pos sible application of these thin films, we have investigated the gas-sensing properties toward CO, with particular focus on the role of Fe, The layers were capable to sense CO down to the level requested for environmental moni toring.