Secondary ion mass spectrometry and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy investigation on chemical vapor deposited CeO2-ZrO2-TiO2 thin films

Mixed CeO2-ZrO2 systems have attracted widespread interest for their use in three-way catalyst (TWC) technology for automotive exhaust conversion to non-toxic products. In this work, CeO2-ZrO2 thin films were deposited, via chemical vapor deposition, in order to obtain nanoscale materials with a high surface-to-volume ratio, with precise control of system properties. The addition of TiO2 as buffer layer was also investigated. Cordierite was chosen as substrate, being the usual refractory material for catalytic mufflers. The multilayers were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS). In particular, the combination of SIMS and XPS allowed us to investigate both surface and in-depth chemical composition, studying also film-intermixing phenomena induced by annealing processes. Copyright (C) 2003 John Wiley Sons, Ltd.