Nanostructured Pt–TiO2 composite thin films obtained by direct liquid injection metal organic chemical vapor deposition: Control of chemical state by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy

• DOI: 10.1016/j.tsf.2015.06.007
• Publication Date: 2015-06-06T21:11:59Z
• Authors: L. Avril; S. Bourgeois; P. Simon; B. Domenichini; N. Zanfoni; F. Herbst; L. Imhoff
• Keywords: Platinum nanoparticles; Chemical state

Abstract Nanostructured Pt–TiO 2 composite thin films were synthesized by direct liquid injection metal organic chemical vapor deposition process, using trimethyl(methylcyclopentadienyl)platinum and titanium isopropoxide as precursors. Surface and cross-sectional morphologies obtained by scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy evidenced the uniform distribution of platinum nanoparticles in the TiO 2 matrix. At higher Pt content, the X-ray diffraction analysis showed that the face-centered cubic phase of platinum appeared together with an anatase TiO 2 structure. In addition, as far as the platinum chemical state is concerned, the co-deposition of TiO 2 and Pt allowed obtaining Pt 2 + or Pt°, in a ratio strongly dependent on the Pt content. Indeed, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy characterization evidenced the presence of only Pt 2 + for lower Pt content and only Pt° for higher one. The variation of platinum content in the TiO 2 films resulted in a change of the chemical state of platinum.