Electrodeposition Of Thin Films Research Articles

Optimization of BiVO4 photoelectrodes made by electrodeposition for sun-driven water oxidation

In this work, the synthesis of cheap BiVO4 photoanodes for the photoelectrochemical water splitting reaction was optimized via the scalable thin film electrodeposition method. Factors affecting the photoelectrochemical activity, such as the electrodeposition time, the ratio of the Bi-KI to benzoquinone-EtOH in the deposition bath, and the calcination temperature, have been investigated by using the Central Composite Design of Experiments. Pristine monoclinic scheelite BiVO4 photoanodes having a photocurrent density of 0.45 ± 0.05 mA/cm2 at 1.23 V vs RHE have been obtained. It was shown that a high photocurrent density is generally dictated by the following physico-chemical properties: a higher crystallite size, optimal thickness and a porous morphology, which give rise to a low charge transfer resistance, low onset potential and a high donor density. Moreover, to the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on the depth profile XPS analysis performed in BiVO4 photoanodes made by electrodeposition technique, from which it was concluded that the surface V species exist as V4+ while the bulk V species are V5+. The V4+ induces a higher amount of surface oxygen vacancies, which was found to be beneficial for the photoactivity.

Electrodeposition of photovoltaic thin films from ionic liquids in ambient atmosphere: Gallium from a chloroaluminate ionic liquid

At present time, semiconductive thin films used in photovoltaic cells can be successfully electrodeposited using ionic liquids in lab scale. However, scaling-up of this technology is hazardous due to the complexity involved to conduct electrodeposition in inert gas atmosphere. This paper reports on a novel approach for electrodeposition of gallium from a chloroaluminate ionic liquid composed of anhydrous aluminum chloride (AlCl3) and 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride (EMIC) in ambient atmosphere, after protection with a non-water-absorbable hydrocarbon layer. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) measurements were undertaken to characterize the electrodissolution and electrodeposition behavior of Ga. Potentiostatic electrodeposition experiments were conducted to deposit functional Ga layers on platinum, nickel, and mild steel substrates. SEM/EDX investigations revealed that Ga deposits have inhomogeneous microstructure developed through the progressive nucleation-growth mechanism that has been controlled by diffusion of Ga cations.

Influence of Organic Additive Benzene Sulfamide on the Magnetic Behavior of Electrodeposited CoMnP Thin Film Alloys

Electro deposition of CoMnP thin films was carried out for different concentrations of organic additive Benzene sulfamide at a constant bath pH value and for various current density. Magnetic properties such as coercivity, saturation magnetization and the surface morphology were investigated for electrodeposited CoMnP thin films. The characteristics of the CoMnP thin films were found to attain enhanced values, because of the variation in the concentration of the bath solution. The Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) micrographs of the CoMnP thin films for various bath compositions and additive concentration exhibited different micro cracks. From the X-ray diffraction pattern, structure of the CoMnP alloy films was analyzed and it was found to be Hesagonal Close Packed (HCP) structures with the dominant microstructure and all the co-deposited thin films were found to exhibit Nano crystalline structure. The magnetic properties of the specimens were characterized using Vibrating Sample Magnetometer (VSM). Adhesion and hardness of the electroplated films influenced by organic additive Benzene Sulfamide were also investigated. The magnetic properties were highly influenced by the addition of the organic additive Benzene Sulfamide for various bath composition and bath conditions. Under best condition involving addition of 0.2 M of NaH2PO2 and 2 g/L of Benzene Sulfamide acid at current density 5 mA/cm2 and time of deposition 60 Minutes, the thickness of the film was found to be 4.6 micrometer with coercivity 1500 Oe.

Flexible gold nanoparticles/rGO and thin film/rGO papers: novel electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction

AbstractBACKGROUNDFabrication of cost‐effective and durable materials for efficient hydrogen production in splitting water (hydrogen evolution reaction) is of importance for the successful utilization of hydrogen‐based green energy technologies. Therefore, electrocatalytic materials have been designed with a simple approach using electrodeposition of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and thin film (AuTF) directly on reduced graphene oxide (rGO) paper. As‐prepared paper electrocatalysts (AuNPs/rGO and AuTF/rGO) were characterized by X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X‐ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM).RESULTSFree‐standing and flexible AuNPs/rGO and AuTF/rGO electrocatalysts have exhibited excellent performances on HER with low Tafel slopes (88 and 112 mV dec−1), low onset potentials (−47 and −55 mV), small overpotentials of only −176 and −204 mV to drive 10 mA cm−2, respectively, and high durability even with the rolled design. The outstanding performance of these two electrocatalysts can be attributed to the uniform distribution of 20‐nm‐sized AuNPs and the deposition of well‐ordered AuTF on rGO paper, providing an increment in the surface area and an enhancement of the electron density.CONCLUSIONThe controllable design of AuNPs/rGO and AuTF/rGO electrocatalysts, together with their high flexibility, good stability and promising results, suggest potential use in future applications of H2 production in splitting water. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry

Design of Copper Plating on Zinc from Organic Solution for Photoactive CZTS Synthesis

Electrodeposition has been always considered a valuable fabrication technique for semiconductor materials, especially because of its relatively low cost and scalability [1-2]. However, some intrinsic limitations are affecting such a technique, mainly due to the interaction between the substrate and the plating solution. In this view, the employment of organic solution may be a valid option to plate a metallic layer on top of less noble ones. In the framework of Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) synthesis, the typical route consists indeed in the electrodeposition of a stacked layer from the noblest metal to the least one, i.e. Mo/Cu/Sn/Zn [1-2]. This is limited to the high reactivity of zinc when immersed in a copper or tin-based solution resulting in fast displacement reactions occurring due to the huge difference in the reduction potential of the two elements. However, since the metallic precursor layer needs to be reactively annealed at significantly high temperatures >500°C, zinc loss may be significant being the outermost layer, with consequent modification of the film stoichiometry. Moreover, few studies based on vacuum fabrication techniques demonstrated the beneficial effect of zinc when directly in contact with Mo substrate having copper and tin as outermost layers [3]. Based on these premises, the design of an organic solution, overcoming the intrinsic limitation water-based ones [4-5], is proposed and successfully employed for the electrodeposition of copper onto zinc. Copper displacement reaction is assessed and investigated, paying attention to how the metal salt concentration and the introduction of a copper complexing agent affected the reactivity towards zinc. Once minimized displacement reaction and electrochemically characterized the electrolyte through cyclic voltammetry, the galvanostatic deposition was carried out to obtain the desired film thickness and morphology. The precursor stack (Mo/Zn/Cu/Sn) was then soft annealed at 300 °C and converted into CZTS kesterite through reactive annealing in a sulfur atmosphere at 560-580 °C. The film was characterized by means of XRD, SEM and Raman spectroscopy. At last, the CdS buffer layer and the Pt catalyst was deposited in the view of photoelectrochemical investigation (100 mW/cm2 AM 1.5 G) to assess the semiconductor photoactivity References [1] Colombara, Diego, et al. "Electrodeposition of kesterite thin films for photovoltaic applications: Quo vadis?." physica status solidi (a) 212.1 (2015): 88-102. [2] Ahmed, Shafaat, et al. "A high efficiency electrodeposited Cu2ZnSnS4 solar cell." Advanced Energy Materials 2.2 (2012): 253-259. [3] Araki, Hideaki, et al. "Preparation of Cu2ZnSnS4 thin films by sulfurization of stacked metallic layers." Thin Solid Films 517.4 (2008): 1457-1460. [4] Welton, Thomas, et al. "Room-temperature ionic liquids. Solvents for synthesis and catalysis." Chemical reviews 99.8 (1999): 2071-2084. [5] Smith, Emma L., et al. "Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) and their applications." Chemical reviews 114.21 (2014): 11060-11082.

Electrodeposition of copper-doped SnS thin films and their electric transmission properties control for thermoelectric enhancement

The thermoelectric performances of SnS are gradually noticed because of its structure similarity to SnSe which has the highest known thermoelectric performance. But the low electric transmission properties of SnS confines its thermoelectric performances. In this paper, we prepared Cu-doped SnS thin films with electrodeposition method. The Cu-doping content of the thin films were controlled by the adjustment of the electrolyte composition. The Cu doping narrowed the band gap of the SnS thin films, so that it promoted the carrier concentration of the films. The largest carrier concentration increased from 4.26 × 1015 to 436.42 × 1015 cm−3 after the Cu doping. By the additives in the electrolyte, the texture orientation and its coefficient were successfully controlled. The texture of (040) and (200) were obtained by the addition of urea and CTAB, respectively. The carrier mobility of the Cu-doped SnS thin films increased from 0.63 to 1.94 cm2/V s by the (200) texture. With a sample electrodeposition method, we successfully accomplished the combination of the Cu-doping and texture control of SnS thin films. Such a combination decreased the resistivity of the Cu-doped thin film with (200) texture from 322.53 to 24.50 Ω cm, so it was an effective path to improve the electric transmission performance of SnS thin films. Our results provide an easy method and a new view to improve the electric transmission performance of thermoelectric thin films.

Electrodeposition of Cu thin film assisted by Cu nanoparticles for Cu2ZnSnSe4 solar cell applications

Electrodepositing high-quality Cu thin film on Mo substrate is important for fabricating high-efficiency Cu2SnZnSe4 (CZTSe) solar cells via the electrodeposition technique. In this study, a novel route to modify the surface morphology of Cu thin film is reported by utilizing pre-embedded Cu nanoparticles on Mo substrate. The Cu nanoparticles with controlled size and density are synthesized after soaking the pre-fabricated Cu thin films in HCl solution. After employing these Cu nanoparticles to act as nuclei points during the electrodeposition process, compact and flat Cu thin films are successfully electrodeposited in simple salt solution (with no additives) without the precise control of substrate properties and deposition parameters. Due to the electrodeposition of high-quality Cu thin films, CZTSe thin films with compact and uniform grains are prepared. As a result, the carrier density in the CZTSe absorber is significantly improved and a deep level defect induced by the poor morphology metal precursor is inhibited. Finally, a CZTSe solar cell with a power conversion efficiency of 7.36% is fabricated.

Influence of Solvent on the Proprieties of Cu2ZnSnS4 Thin Film Fabricated by One-Step Electrodeposition

This paper concentrates on the electrodeposition of CZTS kesterite thin films on ITO coated glass. The main objective of the article is to compare the electrodeposition from an ionic liquid electrolyte, which is choline–urea, and from an aqueous electrolyte, that is the citrate buffer solution. The electrochemical behaviour of the citrate buffer shown a remarkable evolution of the hydrogen, which was less in the choline chloride–urea electrolyte. The XRD pattern of the films provided from the two electrolytes confirms the presence of the kesterite form of Cu2ZnSnS4. The surface morphology of the samples was examined using scanning electron microscopy and showed that electrodeposition from the citrate buffer electrolyte leads to have CZTS thin films with less porous morphology.

Joining of blanks by cold pressure welding: Incremental rolling and strategies for surface activation and heat treatment

AbstractThe cold pressure welding of metals is a joining by forming technique capable of joining both similar and dissimilar metals in their solid state. In this article collective research on the cold pressure welding of metals with the aim of increasing both the overall weld strength and the weld‐ability is presented. The application of innovative strategies based on electrochemical methods for an optimized conditioning of metal surfaces is investigated. The results account for a noticeable increase in the weld strength of steel‐aluminum joints after a surface activation consisting of either an electrochemical roughening or electrodeposition of a bifunctional organosilane thin film. In addition to the surface activation process regimes for the pre‐ and post‐welding heat treatment is investigated. Both weld strength and weld ability are improved due to heat treatments of steel sheets with various coatings and uncoated aluminium. The cold pressure welding is hereby done by incremental rolling, a new design process that allows for the manufacture of linear and curved joints between sheet metal blanks.

Heterogeneous Nucleation and Interfacial Modification of Electrodeposited Lithium

There has been a recent resurgence in research on high energy density lithium metal batteries (LMBs). The successful commercialization of rechargeable LMBs requires an improved understanding of the fundamental nucleation and growth processes for electrodeposited lithium metal. These fundamental studies necessitate the use of anode-free or nearly-anode-free cells which are able to deliver the maximum theoretical capacity of lithium. Past reports in the literature tend to use significantly excess lithium, which is not representative of a practical lithium metal cell. In this work, we examine the electrodeposition of thin film (< 30 um) uniform columnar lithium directly on various current collectors. We determine the effect of both the substrate and the electrolyte interface which allow us to control the length scales of the electrodeposited lithium. The substrate overpotential has an inverse relation to the columnar diameters, but it appears that the most dominant effect comes from the composition and distribution of solid-electrolyte-interphase (SEI) components. We find that for thin film electrodeposited lithium, the columnar length scale has a minor effect on the cycling performance, whereas increasing the thickness from 5 to 10 um and fluorinating the interface appear to improve cycling performance. This work presents improved cycling performance and morphological control (via modification of bulk interfaces) of electrodeposited columnar lithium. Figure 1

Initializing the commercial viability of ionic liquids for the electrodeposition techniques: A detailed procedure for preparing CdTe thin films with high photo-absorption

In this paper, we have shown a complete methodology to scrutinize the electrodeposition of stoichiometric and nanostructured CdTe thin films from an ionic liquid bath, namely 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ([Bmim]Cl). A detailed cyclic voltammetric study using paused potentials has been carried out to identify various redox processes of an unknown complex system. As-deposited 1μm CdTe films possessed spindle like nanostructures of cubic phase and very high absorption coefficient of 6×104cm−1. Looking at the cost of ionic liquids, we have suggested a way-out procedure to reuse the ionic liquid without any recycling. A miniature ionic liquid bath of 5mL having only 1:10 (Te:Cd) precursor concentration can be utilized for fabricating four identical 0.5cm2 CdTe thin films of 1μm thickness by applying −1.65V (vs. Fc/Fc+) at 80°C. The reuse of ionic liquid decreases deposition time in 4th run to only 555s, which is the shortest deposition time from any electrolytic bath till date. The bottleneck in adopting ionic liquids for commercial use lies in their cost and this crucial issue was dealt with a simple idea proposed in the present work. This study will be important to open up a new era of “Green” and low cost alternatives to develop nanostructured thin films of any compound material for their utilization in modern photoelectric devices.

Cover Feature: Double‐Pulse Electrodeposition of CuGaS2 Photovoltaic Thin Film (ChemElectroChem 12/2019)

The Cover Feature shows the double-pulse electrodeposition of a CuGaS2 photovoltaic thin film on an FTO substrate. The chalcopyrite film is deposited by pulsing a −0.8 V vs. Ag/AgCl potential, depositing an impure wide bandgap ternary chalcogenide, followed by a −0.2 V Ag/AgCl potential to dissolve the CuS impurity phase. The CuGaS2 film is deposited in one step in an all-elements-contained aqueous solution, using Na2S2O3 as the sulfur source. Highly pure CuGaS2 films are deposited without copper sulfide impurities and without the need for KCN post-treatment. More information can be found in the Communication by M. A. S. Andrade Jr. et al. on page 2998 in Issue 12, 2019 (DOI: 10.1002/celc.201900316).

Electrodeposition of cobalt thin films and nanowires from ethylene glycol-based solution

Ethylene glycol-based solutions containing metal precursor chloride salts were investigated for the electrodeposition of cobalt thin films and nanowires. The electrochemical behavior of 0.5 M Co(II) chloride solution at 70 °C was studied by means of cyclic voltammetry (CV) on a Pt substrate. The reduction process was shown to be irreversible, with high faradaic efficiencies (85–90 %). A diffusion coefficient (D0) of 2.29 × 10−6 cm2 s−1 for the Co species was estimated from the electrochemical behavior at different scan rates (from 25 to 125 mV s−1). The electrodeposition process was also studied on a copper substrate at different cathodic potentials (from −0.75 V vs Pt to −0.95 V vs Pt). Field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and electron dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) revealed high-purity, compact films. Template-assisted electrodeposition resulted in ~16–18 μm long cobalt nanowires with an aspect ratio L/D > 100. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis of Co thin films showed a preferential orientation along the HCP [100] direction, which was even more marked for the nanowires. Vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM) highlighted that the fact that Co thin films were magnetized in-plane, while in nanowires a competition between shape and magnetocrystalline anisotropy led to similar magnetic behavior for the in-plane and out-of-plane directions.

Controllable electrodeposition and mechanism research of nanostructured Bi2Te3 thin films with high thermoelectric properties

Nanostructured Bi2Te3 thin films were electrodeposited in the electrolyte of TeO2 and Bi(NO3)3·5H2O without any additive. Electrochemical tests proved that Bi3+ was reduced to Bi firstly, which induce the reduction of HTeO2+ to fulfill the co-position. The stoichiometric ratio of Bi2Te3 was controlled by the adjustment of depositing duration under suitable deposition potential. The EIS results illustrated that the rate of stable growth of the films was determined by the applied potential. The nucleation of Bi2Te3 was a progressive process, during which all the nuclei formed uniformly. The subsequent stable growth of the Bi2Te3 thin films was controlled by Nernst diffusion process at a suitable depositing rate. The uniform nucleation and growth caused the ideal (110) texture. The hydrogen evolution reaction and the over growth was avoided, so that the compact rice-like nanostructure could be obtained. The Bi2Te3 thin films were controlled to a state of stoichiometry composition, single phase structure, compact rice-like nano-morphology and (110) texture. Their electrical conductivity reached as high as 1.240 × 105 S·m−1, which caused the maximum PF of 5.234 × 10−4 W·m−1·K2. This facile synthetic approach is promising for the preparation of nanostructured Bi2Te3 thin films as the thermoelectric materials.

Electrodeposition of bismuth telluride from a weakly coordinating, non-aqueous solution

We report the electrodeposition of bismuth telluride thin films on to titanium nitride (TiN) electrodes from a weakly coordinating solvent, dichloromethane (CH2Cl2), using the halometallates, [NnBu4][BiCl4] and [NnBu4]2[TeCl6] with 0.1M [NnBu4]Cl as the supporting electrolyte. The elemental composition of the electrodeposited films was found to be independent of the deposition potential between −0.6 and −2.0V vs. Ag/AgCl but to be dependent on ratio of the concentrations of the Bi and Te precursors in the solution, with the amount of bismuth in the films increasing when the concentration of [NnBu4][BiCl4] in solution was increased. All the electrodeposited films were found to be homogenous in composition across the electrode surface and to be reproducible in composition for replicate experiments. As the deposition potential was taken less negative, the morphology of the deposits changed from uniform films to films with a compact micro/nano particle structure as seen by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Using this system, the electrodeposition of crystalline Bi2Te3 and Bi4Te3 was confirmed by energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDX) and grazing incidence X-ray diffraction.

Retraction notice to: "Cathodic electrodeposition of RuO2 thin films from Ru(III)Cl3 solution" [Materials Chemistry and Physics Volume 87, Issue 1, September 2004, Pages 59-66

Retraction notice to: "Cathodic electrodeposition of RuO2 thin films from Ru(III)Cl3 solution" [Materials Chemistry and Physics Volume 87, Issue 1, September 2004, Pages 59-66

Facile electrodeposition of superhydrophobic aluminum stearate thin films on copper substrates for active corrosion protection

A facile aluminum based superhydrophobic thin films were electrodeposited by mixing aluminum isopropoxide (AlOx) with stearic acid (SA) onto the copper substrates via one-step method. The energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) attenuated total-reflectance Fourier Transmission infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) were used to confirm the presence of Al, C, and O as well as COOAl and CH bonds in the thin film. The water-roll off properties were analyzed by measuring the contact angle to study the superhydrophobic nature of fabricated films. Results show that superhydrophobicity with the water contact angle of 161 ± 1° and the contact angle hysteresis of 2 ± 1° were obtained with respect to the AlOx/SA molar ratio of 0.33. The morphology of the fabricated thin films consisted of uniform porous structures with surface roughness (rms) of 3 μm on the copper substrate. The addition of stearic acid plays an important role for the superhydrophobic property. Furthermore, the thin films and their anticorrosion behavior were investigated using 3.5 wt% corrosive aqueous NaCl electrolyte solution. The polarization resistance of the thin film is found to be 962 kΩ·cm2 as characterized by Tafel. Similarly, impedance value of 10 MΩ·cm2 was obtained from Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS). A simple fabrication of water-repellent superhydrophobic aluminum-based coating endues extremely high active in corrosion protection.

In situ electrodeposition of cholesterol oxidase-modified polydopamine thin film on nanostructured screen printed electrodes for free cholesterol determination

The in situ electrodeposition of cholesterol oxidase (ChOx)-modified polydopamine (PDA) thin film on nanostructured-screen printed electrodes (SPEs) is described here. Prussian Blue (PB) and multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were used for their outstanding properties in biosensing applications. Cyclic Voltammetry (CV), Constant Potential Amperometry (CPA) and Electrochemical Impedance Analysis (EIS) were used to confirm the correct electrodeposition of the enzyme-modified PDA thin film on the SPE. In addition, the assembly protocol was fully revised to optimize the biosensor response. The proposed cholesterol biosensor showed Michaelis-Menten behavior with KappM, Vmax and Hill parameter values of 1.97mM, 7.33μA and 1.06, respectively. Biosensor sensitivity, stability, reproducibility, repeatability and anti-interference properties were obtained and confirmed the feasibility of using this biosensor for cholesterol determination. In order to show the applicability of such an approach, the biosensor was incorporated in a Flow Injection Analysis (FIA) device and had a high sensitivity of 32.14mAM−1cm−2 (R2=0.999), a linear range over two orders of magnitude and a detection limit (S/N=3) of 1.5μM. The results confirmed the success of the biosensor for determining cholesterol in future applications in diagnostic laboratories.

Synergetic catalytic behavior of AgNi-OH-Pi nanostructures on Zr:BiVO4 photoanode for improved stability and photoelectrochemical water splitting performance

Photoelectrocatalytic methodologies are attractive for the longstanding storage of renewable energy via direct transformation of solar energy into fuels and chemicals. Controlled electrodeposition of thin and homogeneous nickel hydroxylphosphate (Ni-OH-Pi) nanoparticle films on Zr:BiVO4 photoanodes was achieved, wherein the Ni-OH-Pi co-catalyst increased the photoelectrochemical (PEC) water oxidation and stability of photoanodes comprising silver phosphate (AgPi) on Zr:BiVO4 (AgNi-OH-Pi/Zr:BiVO4). Evaluation of the optical, structural, and morphological properties revealed that the AgNi-OH-Pi/Zr:BiVO4 photoanodes exhibited enhanced PEC behavior with photocurrent densities (Jph) of ∼3.14 mA cm−2 for water oxidation with long-term stability over 60 h and ∼4.15 mA cm−2 for hydrogen peroxide (0.5 M H2O2) oxidation. The enhanced PEC of the fabricated AgNi-OH-Pi/Zr:BiVO4 photoanodes was attributed to the synergetic influence of strong visible-light absorption, enhanced charge separation–transport, and exceptional surface properties. Considering their comparatively superior photocatalytic activity, the AgNi-OH-Pi/Zr:BiVO4 photoanodes are potential electrode candidates in solar water splitting, dye-sensitized solar cells, and photocatalysis.

Electrodeposition of CdS thin-films from cadmium acetate and ammonium thiosulphate precursors

Cadmium sulphide (CdS) thin-films have been electrodeposited using two electrode system to be used as the hole back diffusion barrier (hbdb) layer for graded bandgap solar cells with p-type windows. Cadmium acetate dihydrate [Cd(CH3COO)2·2H2O] and ammonium thiosulphate [(NH4)2S2O3] have been used as the cadmium (Cd) and sulphur (S) precursors respectively. In this work, CdS layers have been grown on glass/FTO (fluorine doped tin oxide) substrates at cathodic potentials ranging from 1300 to 1460 mV in order to find the best growth voltage. N-type conductivity is observed for all the layers and band-gap ranged between ~ 2.36 and ~ 2.40 eV for as-deposited layers and ~ 2.31 and ~ 2.36 eV for air-annealed layers. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis revealed cubic/hexagonal mixed crystallinity for the as-grown layers which indicates a tendency of transiting towards hexagonal structure upon annealing. Compositional and morphological characteristics of the layers have been investigated with energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) respectively.