Preparation and structural characterization of nanostructured iron oxide thin films

Nanostructured iron oxide thin films were prepared using a dip-coating technique by forced hydrolysis of a FeCl3 solution with 2% gelatin at 608C. The structural properties were characterized by X-ray diffractometer XRD., atomic force microscopy AFM., X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy XPS.and UV–Vis absorption measurements. XRD analysis revealed that the iron oxide in the films consisted of a-Fe2O3, AFM showed that the Fe2O3 particles in the films were relatively uniform in size and XPS showed that there was little carbon on the surface and that the Fe2O3 fully covered the Si substrate. The particle sizes can be easily controlled through the pH of the solution. q1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.