A method for the efficient monitoring of the existence and composition of encapsulated nanophases in nanostructured thin films grown using sol-gel technology is suggested. The method is used to study the semiconductor film structures intended for gas-sensitive adsorption sensors. The potential for, and prospects of, studying materials and diagnosing sol-gel processes using this method are considered.
In this work, we have investigated the surface topography evolution of sol-gel deposited SiO2-SnO2 nanocomposite films annealed in the temperature range 200–600°C. The fractal dimension of atomic force microscopy images of the films was determined by the cube counting method and the triangulation method. The fractal dimension was shown to be an appropriate and easy to use tool for the characterization of nanosized thin film structures. Raman spectroscopy revealed the formation of a SiO2 cage-like structure at 400°C and SnO2 crystallization above 500°C.
Organic/inorganic hybrid coatings prepared via the sol-gel process have received lot of interests during the early twenty-first century. Devices obtained thanks to this low-temperature route display a large panel of bulk and surface properties that can be modulated according to the target. Moreover, this versatility enables to offer solutions in various domains and industrial applications such as micro- electronics, optic, aeronautic, automotive, health. When the aimed application required polymer as substrate, the use of sol-gel process takes its full interest as soft chemistry. This review is dedicated to mechanical properties improvement of a common polymer substrate, e.g., polycarbonate, when a transparent sol-gel coating recovered it. Graphical 