Thickness induced transversal percolation in Pt–Al2O3 nano-composites

Investigations of thickness induced percolation process in Ptξ–Al2O3 nano-composites were carried out using grazing angle X-ray scattering. It is shown that the morphological characteristics of the nano-scaled Pt particles change significantly within the growth transversal direction. The initially non percolated two phases Ptξ–Al2O3 nano-composites show a noteworthy tendency to a percolated morphology with a gradual transversal increase of Pt nano-particles' average diameter in addition to the increase of the Pt nano-particles' poly-dispersity. This transversal morphological evolution is followed by a percolation phenomenon of the Pt nano-particles for a thickness of about ∼119.5 nm. This transversal morphological evolution seems to corroborate far too much with a columnar growth process.