Nanocrystalline Pt thin films prepared by electrostatic spray deposition for automotive exhaust gas treatment

The deposition of a platinum electrode on 8 mol% Y2O3-stabilized ZrO2 (YSZ) using the electrostatic spray deposition (ESD) technique was investigated. Films with various morphologies were obtained starting from different precursor solutions based on Pt(NH3)4(OH)2(H2O), PtCl4 and Pt(acac)2 dissolved in different solvents. The surface morphology was strongly influenced by the composition of the precursor solution, the deposition temperature, the nozzle to substrate distance, the precursor solution flow rate and the deposition time. The processes involved in the film formation were discussed. Nanocrystalline cubic Pt single-phase was present in the raw film as shown by X-ray diffraction.