Abstract
The surface topography of thin NiO films formed in the temperature range of 873–1073 K on pure and on CeO 2 coated polycrystalline Ni has been analyzed quantitatively using atomic force microscopy. Oxides with average thicknesses of up to 950 nm exhibited topography which was dependent on the Ni surface finishing, the presence of CeO 2 coatings, and oxide thickness. It has been found that a correlation exists between the evolution of surface topography and the mechanism of oxide growth. For both pure NiO and NiO modified by CeO 2, grown by predominantly outward Ni 2+ cation diffusion, surface roughness increased significantly with oxide thickness and oxidation temperature. By contrast, only small changes in roughness were detected for NiO modified by CeO 2 and formed by predominantly inward O 2 − anion diffusion. The results obtained are discussed in terms of the influence of CeO 2 additions and Ni surface finishing on the growth morphology of the NiO films.
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