Tungsten trioxide thin films prepared by electrostatic spray deposition technique

Tungsten trioxide (WO3) thin films deposited on a Pt-coated alumina substrate using the electrostatic spray deposition (ESD) technique is reported in this paper. As precursor solution, tungsten (VI) ethoxide in ethanol was used. The morphology and the microstructure of the films were studied using scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive X-ray analysis, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and Raman spectroscopy. Dense to porous morphologies were obtained by tuning the deposition temperature. Impedance spectroscopy and current-voltage measurements were used to study the electrical behaviour of the films in air, in temperature range 300-500 degrees C. The activation energy was estimated from Arrhenius plots. Considering the obtained results, the ESD technique proved to be an effective technique for the fabrication of porous tungsten trioxide thin films. (C) 2007 Published by Elsevier B.V.