Deposition of cobalt oxide thin films by plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition (PECVD) for catalytic applications

In the case of coatings produced from a solution of cobalt nitrate salt, a layer of 1 μm of Co3O4 in crystalline form was obtained after annealing. Considering the thin films obtained from cobalt carbonyl precursor, analyses confirmed the presence of cobalt oxide in a polymeric layer on the surface of the substrate. XRD investigation showed the presence of a crystalline phase of Co3O4 (crystallite size of about 40 nm).