Fabrication of dense La0.05Sr0.95CoO3-y thin film on porous MgO and CeO2 substrates

Thin films of the functional ceramic material La0.05Sr0.95CoO3-y, an import ant mixed-conducting oxide, were successfully prepared on porous CeO2 and M gO substrates by means of the spin-coating technique. This work developed a pre-coating treatment with which surfaces-pores are plugged tentatively wi th silver so that a thin liquid film of the precursor solution can be sprea d on the substrate evenly, and a uniform crack-free thin film of the desire d composition can be formed by subsequent curing, pyrolysis and firing. The curing yields a metallo-organic polymer film and the pyrolysis converts th e polymer into an amorphous oxide layer. During firing of the amorphous oxi de, a thin film with a cubic crystalline phase is generated. The technique allows a dense La0.05Sr0.95CoO3-y, film to be fabricated if a sufficient nu mber of coatings is applied on relevant substrates. This paper also discuss es the influence of the surface roughness of a substrate and chemical compo sition of the precursor solutions used on the morphology of the resulting c eramic film. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. and International Society of Ch emotherapy. All rights reserved.