Porous indium oxide thin films deposited by electrostatic spray deposition technique

This paper presents the preparation process of porous indium oxide (In2O3) films using a novel deposition technique, i.e., electrostatic spray deposition (ESD). The films were deposited on platinum-coated alumina substrates using as precursor solution indium chloride in ethanol and acetic acid. The films were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Raman spectroscopy. The nanocrystalline structure of the films was evidenced by TEM and also by XRD studies. The Raman spectroscopy and XRD measurements revealed the cubic phase of In2O3 films. Considering the obtained results, we conclude that the ESD technique is an efficient, cheap and successful method for the preparation of porous indium oxide films. (C) 2006 Elsevier Ltd and Techna Group S.r.l. All rights reserved.