Titanium oxide (TiO 2 ) films and composite coatings with nickel were synthesized by plasma-assisted, metal-organic (PAMO) CVD using the MO complexes bis(2-N-(2-hydroxy-2-methylethylimino)-4-pentanoate)titanium(IV) and N,N′-ethylenebis(2,4-pentanedion-iminoato)nickel(II). The growth of such films was investigated in various plasma environments (Ar or N 2 ) in the substrate temperature range 450-550°C under a deposition pressure of 1-2 mbar. The phase identification using grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXRD) showed TiO 2 crystallized in anatase form, while that of nickel in composite films was found to be a face centered cubic (fcc) structure. The surface morphology analysis using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed a grainy and sponge-like structure for TiO 2 films, whereas smooth and densely packed agglomerates could be observed for Ni/TiO 2 composite films. Chemical analysis by energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis showed the presence of titanium, nickel, and oxygen in the films. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) confirmed the chemical state of the elements in the deposited composite films to be Ti +4 and Ni 0 . Prior to the deposition of TiO 2 and its composite films, the Ti precursor was subjected to equilibrium vapor pressure measurements by employing thermogravimetric/differential thermal analysis (TG/DTA) in transpiration mode, which led to the value of 46.25 ± 2.7 kJ mol -1 for the standard enthalpy of sublimation (DH°s ub ).
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