title: Sol-gel-derived iron oxide thin films on silicon: surface properties and interfacial chemistry.
abstract: Uniform high-quality iron oxide thin films can be formed from the spin coating of iron oxide/hydroxide sol-gels on a silicon substrate. Thermal processing of the films at temperatures of approximately 300 degrees C results in the transformation of films into a ternary layered structure with iron oxide, Fe(2)O(3), at the surface, characterized by Mossbauer spectroscopy, and reduced, metallic iron characterized by depth profiling of the surface by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy as a function of Ar(+) etching. Imaging of the etched surface by scanning electron microscopy reveals two distinct regions at the interface, nanoparticles that are very iron-rich separated by an unstructured region that is somewhat less iron-rich. The results demonstrate a synthetic protocol for the spontaneous formaton of a ternary layered structure from a simple one-step preparation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida 32306, USA.
authors.forename: Chi-Dong
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Jeremy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Walker
authors.forename: Rina
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tannenbaum
authors.forename: A E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Stiegman
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Frydrych
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Machala
mesh_terms: D002621:Chemistry / Q000379:methods*; D005290:Ferric Compounds / Q000737:chemistry*; D007501:Iron / Q000737:chemistry; D018625:Microscopy, Atomic Force / Q000379:methods; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning / Q000379:methods; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D044367:Phase Transition; D012825:Silicon / Q000737:chemistry*; D015204:Spectroscopy, Mossbauer / Q000379:methods; D013499:Surface Properties; D013696:Temperature
chemical_list: D005290:Ferric Compounds; C000499:ferric oxide; D007501:Iron; D012825:Silicon