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 60 degrees C. 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 alpha-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. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.