Applied Surface Science 255 (2009) 6479–6486

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Applied Surface Science

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/apsusc

Effect of sputtering parameters on surface morphology and catalytic

efficiency of thin platinum films
E. Slavcheva a,b,*, G. Ganske a, G. Topalov b, W. Mokwa a, U. Schnakenberg a
a
Institute of Materials in Electrical Engineering I, RWTH, Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany
b
Institute of Electrochemistry and Energy Systems, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 1113 Sofia, Bulgaria

A R T I C L E I N F O A B S T R A C T

Article history: This paper presents a research on the influence of sputtering parameters (dc power, argon pressure) and
Received 2 September 2008 film thickness/metal loading on the surface structure and morphology of platinum thin films and their
Received in revised form 2 February 2009 catalytic activity toward the oxygen reduction in acid aqueous solutions. The properties of the sputtered
Accepted 4 February 2009
films were studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and the
Available online 21 February 2009
electrochemical methods of cyclic voltammetry and steady state polarisation. It was found that low
sputtering power and high sputtering pressure lead to deposition of mechanically stable crystalline Pt
Keywords:
films with extended surface area. Optimal sputtering parameters of 68 mTorr argon pressure and 100 W
Sputtered Pt films
dc power were determined. The films deposited at these conditions possess homogeneous, highly
Electrocatalysis
Oxygen reduction developed surface with columnar structure. The increase in thickness results in essential epitaxial
growth of the platinum particles with distinct [1 1 1] orientation. The best utilization of the catalyst
(1.103 A cm2 nmPt1 mass activity determined from the polarisation curves at 0.4 V) was achieved at
120–130 nm film thickness.
ß 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction catalyst loadings [1–6]. Experimental data reported recently have

The plasma enhanced physical vapour deposition (PVD)
method of magnetron sputtering is a well established technique
broadly used in the field of silicon micro- and nano-technologies
for deposition of thin metal, oxide, and composite films with
specific applications. In the last years the method is gaining
increasing interest in the field of electrocatalysis. Several research
groups introduced it as an alternative of the conventional catalysts
preparation techniques, particularly for application in the energy
conversion electrochemical cells with polymer membrane elec-
trolytes (fuel cells, water electrolysers, and unitized regenerative
fuel cells). The method offers a variety of advantages compared to
the common methods for catalysts preparation such as wet
chemical reduction, sol gel deposition, thermal decomposition of
metal salts, etc. The sputtered catalysts are deposited as thin
compact catalytic films directly upon a selected substrate material,
including on the gas diffusion electrode or even directly on the
polymer electrolyte. The method is highly reproducible and
enables both excellent homogeneous distribution of the metal
particles on the substrate and extremely low, precisely controlled
* Corresponding author at: Institute of Electrochemistry and Energy Systems,
Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. G. Bonchev Street 10, 1113 Sofia, Bulgaria.
Tel.: +359 2 971 1161; fax: +359 2 872 2544.
E-mail address: slavcheva@ibas.bg (E. Slavcheva).
shown that the electrochemical behaviour of sputtered metal and
metal oxide films depends essentially on the chosen deposition
conditions [7–11]. It has been proven that by variation of the
sputter parameters such as dc or rf power, inert and reactive gas
flow, partial pressure, temperature, distance between the target
and the substrate, etc. it is possible to modify not only the film
composition, but also its structure and morphology and thus, to
tailor the specific surface and the electrochemical reactivity. For
instance, we have shown previously [7,12] that by varying just the
oxygen partial pressure during the reactive dc sputtering of
iridium oxide, the roughness of the deposited film can be increased
more than one order of magnitude which in turn, amplifies the
charge transfer capacity nearly 10 times. At the same time too
much oxygen pressure results in loss of the mechanical stability
and therefore, an optimal set of sputter parameters has to be
identified for best performance. In another study [13] we have
proven by XPS and SEM analysis that the type of plasma excitation
(dc or rf) and the substrate temperature have little effect on the
deposited iridium oxide composition, but a remarkable effect on
the film morphology.
In a recently published paper, Huang et al. [14] have
investigated thin Pt films deposited by rf sputtering. These films
have been used to fabricate MEAs for hydrogen/oxygen fuel cells.
The authors have studied the influence of rf power and argon
partial pressure on the fuel cell performance. The results show that
in contrast to the argon pressure, which influences strongly the

0169-4332/$ – see front matter ß 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.apsusc.2009.02.033
6480 E. Slavcheva et al. / Applied Surface Science 255 (2009) 6479–6486
specific surface area and the electrochemical activity, the rf power
has much less effect on the properties of the sputtered Pt film. Wan
et al. [15] have studied the influence of low and high sputtering
pressure (6  103 and 2  102 mTorr, respectively) on the
deposition rate, porosity, and surface area of thin Pt films and
have found an improved surface morphology and shorter
deposition times at the higher pressure value. Another important
parameter, influencing the rate of electrochemical reactions is the
thickness of the sputtered catalysts [1,16,17]. It affects the cost of
catalysis (through the catalyst loading) and can have an essential
influence on the film structure and morphology. In such respect,
the film thickness is decisive for the catalytic efficiency, governing
the overpotential and the rate controlling steps of the electrode
reactions. The advantages of the sputtering method compared to
the state of art chemical deposition techniques have been pointed
out also by Alvisi et al. [18]. They have sputtered Pt on gas diffusion
electrodes for fuel cells and have shown that the sputtering
method enables strict control of the Pt cluster size. A very uniform
particle distribution was observed resulting in an increased
electrochemically active surface and decreased Pt loading relative
to a commercial chemically dispersed Pt catalyst. Cooper et al. have
published recently results on plasma sputtering of discrete
composition combinatorial libraries consisting of bi- and multi-
component Pt alloys of the type PtMe. They have performed initial
screening of the catalytic efficiency of these libraries for ORR and
have demonstrated the synergetic effect of the alloyed elements
and the huge potential of the combinatorial approach for catalysts
development and their initial characterisation [19,20]. The
influence of the sputtering parameters however, has not been
presented in details. Thus, despite the increasing number of papers
devoted to the electrocatalytic properties of thin metallic and/or
metal oxide films and their various combinations deposited by
magnetron sputtering [1,5,9–11], this technique for catalysts
preparation is not thoroughly studied and its potential in the field
of electrocatalysis is not acknowledged. The available data about
the influence of the sputtering parameters on the catalytic activity
even of such a well-known and highly efficient catalyst as Pt are
still scare and somewhat ambiguous [21]. There is a clear need for
systematic research in order to enable fast and reliable selection of
the sputtering process parameters depending on the desired
catalyst application.
In the present research we have deposited a series of thin
platinum films by dc magnetron sputtering varying systematically
the process parameters and have investigated their influence on the
film structure and morphology in relation to the catalytic activity
toward the oxygen reduction (ORR) in acid aqueous solutions. The
performed parametric study focuses on the changes in film
morphology including its depth profile at varying dc sputtering
power, argon pressure, and film thickness, and the resulting effects
on the electrochemical active surface area and catalytic efficiency.
2. Experimental
2.1. Deposition of the platinum films
Thin platinum films were prepared using a magnetron
sputtering machine Nordiko 2550 which is a sputter down set
up with up to three targets located over a rotating substrate table.
The platinum target used has a diameter of 600 (152.4 mm) and is
bonded to a liquid cooled copper holder. The sputtering chamber
was evacuated to a base pressure of 3  103 mTorr, using rotary
vane and cryogenic pumps and then fed with argon gas at a
constant flow rate of 100 sccm. The pressure was measured with a
MKS Baratron pressure gauge and controlled by a throttle, which
reduced the pumping speed of the cryogenic pump. The distance
between substrate and target was held at a constant 78 mm.
The platinum films were deposited on glass substrates upon a
very thin (25 nm) sputtered titanium adhesive layer. For each set
of sputtering parameters first the deposition rate was determined.
Since the sputtering is a very stable and reproducible process, the
film thickness was controlled through variation of the sputtering
time. In order to obtain platinum films with optimal properties
regarding surface structure, morphology, roughness, porosity, and
catalytic activity, the main sputtering parameters (argon pressure
and dc power) as well as the film thickness were systematically
varied. Three series of test samples were prepared. The samples
from the first series were sputtered at constant argon pressure of
68 mTorr, while varying the dc power in the range 50–1750 W. In
the second series the catalysts were deposited at constant dc
power of 100 W, varying the argon pressure in the range 15–
68 mTorr. The thickness of the test samples from the first two
series was in the range 120–130 nm. Finally, a third series of test
samples was sputtered using constant power and argon pressure of
100 W and 68 mTorr, respectively, while varying the film thickness
in the range 50–600 nm.
2.2. Physical characterisation
The thickness of the sputtered platinum films was determined
via a lift-off process using a Tencor P-10 surface-profilometer. The
surface structure and morphology were studied by methods of X-
ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The
diffraction data were collected using an X-ray diffractometer
Philips PW 1830 at a constant rate of 0.01 2u s1 over an angle
range of 2u = 20–708 with a step size of 0.025 2u. The tube was set
to an acceleration voltage of 40 kV at a current of 35 mA and a 0.2-
1-1 slit was used. The surface morphology was examined by a
ZEISS GEMINI 982 electron microscope with an acceleration
voltage of 3 kV and a magnification up to 100 000. Sputtered
samples were broken to obtain a cross section view.
2.3. Electrochemical characterisation
The electrochemical characterisation was performed in 0.5 M
H2SO4 solution at temperature of 22 8C using the conventional
electrochemical techniques of cyclic voltammetry and steady state
polarisation. The tests were carried out in a standard three
electrode glass cell with a high area Pt-wire counter electrode and
a silver–silver chloride reference electrode. The electrochemical
measurements were performed with EG&G PAR 283 potentiostat
controlled by a PC and commercial software. The cyclic voltam-
metry curves (CV) were recorded in argon purged electrolyte at a
scan rate of 100 mV s1. The test electrodes with working area of
0.5 cm2 exposed to the electrolyte were cycled between the onset
potentials of hydrogen and oxygen evolution until a reproducible
CV was obtained. The electrochemically active surface area, ECSA,
of Pt was determined from the charge in the hydrogen desorption
potential region QHdes using 210 mC cm2 as a conversion factor
according the procedure described in [21]. The quasi steady state
polarisation measurements were performed in O2 saturated
solutions at scan rate of 1 mV s1. The current density in the
ORR peak of the CVs and the current density at 0.4 V from the
cathodic polarisation curves were used to compare the activity of
different Pt films toward the oxygen reduction reaction. All
potentials are given against the Ag/AgCl reference electrode (EAg/
AgCl = 0.2 V vs. NHE).
3. Results and discussion
To obtain a standardised film thickness at different sputtering
power the deposition rate had to be determined. The argon
pressure was held at a constant 68 mTorr and the working distance
 E. Slavcheva et al. / Applied Surface Science 255 (2009) 6479–6486
Fig. 1. Deposition rate of platinum in relation to the sputtering power; the line is a
mathematical non-linear fit (the other sputtering parameters were held constant:
argon pressure 68 mTorr).
at 78 mm. Fig. 1 shows the obtained results. The different size of
the error bars is a result of the assumed measuring error of the
Tencor Profilometer (10 nm) divided by the sputtering time.
Different sputtering times were selected to achieve films with
measurable thickness while reducing the amount of consumed
platinum. The measured results were fitted with a non-linear fitting
function y = a  Xb. One hundred iterations resulted in a of 0.1746 and
b of 0.846. With this model we were able to predict the film thickness
in an adequate accuracy.
3.1. Surface analysis
In order to follow the effect of the selected variable parameters
of the sputter process on the surface structure and morphology, all
samples were studied using SEM and XRD analysis. Selected SEM
images representing the influence of dc power, argon pressure, and
film thickness are shown in Figs. 2–4, respectively. The corre-
sponding XRD spectra are presented in Figs. 5–7. In the upper right
Fig. 2. SEM images of Pt films sputtered at varying dc power (argon pressure 68 mTorr; film thickness 125 nm).
6481
corner of each main SEM micrograph presenting the top view of the
sample, the corresponding cross sections, showing the depth
profile of selected sputtered Pt films are given. The SEM analysis
shows that all sputtered catalysts consist of homogenously
dispersed Pt particles which form a continuous compact film.
The samples deposited at lower dc powers consist of triangular
crystallites with dimensions of about 30–40 nm. The increase in
the plasma excitation gradually leads to a change in the shape
and formation of elongated surface structures. The films deposited
at a dc power of 1000 W and higher have a different surface
morphology with bigger cauliflower type structures. The depth
profile images show a columnar growth of the deposit and a trend
toward densification with the increasing power.
The XRD spectra in Fig. 5 show that the crystallinity increases
with the dc power. The reflection of [1 1 1] direction is pronounced,
while the [2 2 0] and [2 0 0] signals have much lower intensity. For
reasons of clarity the inset of Fig. 5 shows only the [2 0 0] peak. No
distinct relationship between the sputtering power and this crystal
orientation is observed. There seems to be an initial growth in all
crystal orientations after which the [1 1 1] direction is predominant.
The observed effects are in accordance with the measured
changes of the acceleration voltage. It was found that the increase
in the applied power from 50 to 1750 W resulted in a corres-
ponding increase of the acceleration voltage (the voltage between
the target and the common ground of the chamber) from 330 to
485 V. The registered voltage difference at a power increase from
100 to 1000 W was 90 V. The higher bias voltage results in higher
acceleration of the ionized argon toward the target leading to
sputtering of platinum particles with increased kinetic energy and
longer mean free path. This reduces the probability of collisions
with the Argon background gas. These Pt atoms or clusters hit
the substrate surface with more energy and so have a higher
probability for hopping events, lattice rearrangements, and
surface remodelling. Those effects in turn, cause the formation
of more tightly packed layers. This densification explains the non-
linear growth of the deposition rate as well (Fig. 1). At higher
sputtering power more platinum atoms are closely packed,
6482 E. Slavcheva et al. / Applied Surface Science 255 (2009) 6479–6486
Fig. 3. SEM images of Pt films sputtered at varying argon pressure (dc power 100 W; film thickness 125 nm).
forming relatively thinner films. In addition, having a sufficient
energy the adatoms can be easily rearranged in the energetically
preferable [1 1 1] crystal orientation.
The influence of the argon pressure on the film structure and
morphology is even more distinct but in the opposite direction
(Fig. 3). The samples deposited at 15 mTorr are extremely smooth
and featureless. The increase in argon pressure results in a more
columnar growth of the crystallites and larger voids in between. The
depth profiles also demonstrate clear transformation to rougher and
more porous films at higher argon pressure. The XRD (Fig. 6a) shows
again a preferred orientation in the [1 1 1] direction. The intensity of
the [1 1 1] peak reaches a maximum for the sample sputtered at
15 mTorr. The peak is extremely narrow indicating a highly oriented
nearly monocrystalline dense film, which is in accordance with
the featureless SEM image of this sample. With the increase of the
sputtering pressure, the [1 1 1] reflection gradually decreases. The
other reflections seem to intensify and reach a maximum at
50 mTorr (inlay Fig. 6a). To illustrate the consistency of the observed
changes in Fig. 6b are presented the diffraction peak spectra of the
full 2u range (20–908) normalized in respect to the intensity of the
[1 1 1] peak. There is a relative increase in the peak intensity of other
crystal directions with the increasing pressure. The plausible
explanation for the established influence of pAr is that at lower
pressures the sputtered particles have a longer mean free path
between the collisions with Ar atoms and radicals, resulting in a
higher kinetic energy of the adatoms when they reach the substrate.
Similarly to the already discussed influence of the sputtering power,
the particles having more energy, are more capable to hop and
rearrange, thus forming a more compact metal film. Since the [1 1 1]
orientation is energetically more favourable, at low pressure the Pt
crystals grow mainly in this direction [22,23].
The samples from the third test series were sputtered at a fixed
power of 100 W and an argon pressure of 68 mTorr since the Pt
films deposited at these parameters have shown a surface
morphology considered as most favourable for the catalytic
properties. The sputter time was varied to ensure the variation
in the film thickness of about one order of magnitude. The SEM
images in Fig. 4 show a distinct crystal structure of all samples from
this series. The size of the crystallites increases gradually with the
film thickness, following a clear epitaxial crystal growth in the
[1 1 1] plane. These observations were confirmed unambiguously
by the XRD spectra presented in Fig. 7. It can be seen that the signal
of the [1 1 1] direction increases in correspondence with the
thickness. There is no increase in the intensity of the [2 0 0]
direction at all, while the [2 2 0] signal slightly decreases with
increasing thickness. These results prove that after an initial
crystallisation in all directions the further Pt crystal growth is
predominately [1 1 1] oriented.
3.2. Electrochemical tests
Fig. 8 presents the cyclic voltammetry curves of selected
samples deposited at systematic variation of the applied dc power
(Fig. 8a) and the argon partial pressure (Fig. 8b) of the sputtering
process. The shape of the CVs is nearly identical for all samples
under study. The current response to the applied potential
scanning is typical for Pt in sulfuric acid solutions regarding both
the hydrogen and the oxygen potential regions. The current peaks
corresponding to hydrogen adsorption/desorption phenomena are
situated in the potential range 0.3 to 0 V, the coverage of the
surface with oxygen containing species (Pt–O, Pt–OH) starts at
about 0.7 V, the oxygen evolution reaction commences at
potentials above 1.2–1.3 V, while the current peak due to the
corresponding reduction of the adsorbed oxygen species (ORR
peak) is well depicted at potentials of about 0.45–0.47 V (all
potentials are vs. Ag/AgCl). On the other hand, distinct differences
are seen in the area under the voltammograms and the maximum
current density of the ORR peak. They increase essentially with the
decreasing power and the increase of the argon pressure. These
opposite effects of the investigated sputter parameters are in
accordance with the differences in the morphology of the
deposited films established by SEM and XRD analysis (Figs. 2–7).
 E. Slavcheva et al. / Applied Surface Science 255 (2009) 6479–6486
Fig. 4. SEM images of sputtered Pt films with varying thickness (dc power 100 W; argon pressure 68 mTorr).
The observed changes in the surface structure and morphology
of the sputtered Pt films lead to essential variations in the
electrochemically active surface area (ECSA). The values of the
hydrogen desorption charge and the corresponding current
Fig. 5. XRD of Pt films sputtered at varying dc power (argon pressure 68 mTorr; film
thickness 125 nm). The inlay shows a magnification of the [2 0 0] peak.
6483
densities in the maximum of the ORR peak are shown in Fig. 9a
and b for the Pt films sputtered at varying plasma excitation and
argon pressure, respectively. These parameters are characteristic
for the accessible surface of the catalytic film and the activity
toward the process of oxygen reduction reaction, respectively. The
dependence of both QHdes and the jORR on the sputtering argon
pressure in the whole range of pAr studied is nearly linear. The ORR
current density decreases gradually with the increasing excitation
of the plasma. The calculated value of QHdes is maximal at 100 W,
while the further increase of the power causes a decrease of the
active surface of Pt. These results are in accordance with the
observed enlargement of the Pt crystallites and the densification of
the sputtered films with the increasing dc power, and the
deposition of rougher and more porous films with the increasing
argon pressure, proven by SEM data in Figs. 2 and 3. Taking into
account the experimental results obtained from the first and
second test series we have considered 100 W and 68 mTorr as
optimal sputter parameters regarding the electrochemical activity
and have used them to deposit a third test series of sputtered Pt
catalysts in order to study the influence of thickness on the
catalytic efficiency and utilization of the Pt.
6484 E. Slavcheva et al. / Applied Surface Science 255 (2009) 6479–6486

Fig. 8. CV curves of 125 nm thick Pt films sputtered at (a) varying dc power,

pAr = 68 mTorr and (b) varying pAr, dc power of 100 W; recorded in 0.5 M H2SO4 at
22 8C and scan rate of 100 mV s1.

Fig. 6. XRD spectra of Pt films sputtered at varying argon pressure (dc power 100 W;
film thickness 125 nm); (a) peaks [1 1 1] and [2 0 0] and magnification of [2 0 0] as
inset; (b) 3D spectra normalized to the [1 1 1] peak.

The CV curves of the catalysts from the third series are

presented in Fig. 10a, while Fig. 10b shows the dependence of
the charge determined from the hydrogen desorption peak on
the film thickness. The ORR polarisation curves of these samples
are presented in Fig. 11. The values of ECSA and the
roughness factor, f, calculated from the hydrogen desorption
charge according to the procedure in [24] and the maximum
current densities in the ORR peak are summarized in Table 1.
In the same table are included data for jORR determined
from the polarisation measurements, which are indicative for

Fig. 7. XRD spectra of Pt films with varying thickness deposited at fixed sputter
parameters (dc power – 100 W; argon pressure – 68 mTorr. The inlay shows a Fig. 9. Hydrogen desorption charge and current density in the ORR peak determined
magnification of the [2 0 0] peak. from the CVs in Fig. 8 (a and b), respectively.
 E. Slavcheva et al. / Applied Surface Science 255 (2009) 6479–6486 6485

Table 1
Characteristic electrochemical data of the Pt films with varying film thickness
sputtered at dc power of 100 W and argon pressure of 68 mTorr.

Thickness ECSA Roughness jpORR j0:4V

ORR
(nm) (cm2) factor*, f (mA cm2) (mA cm2)

50 8.02 15.94 1.69 0.036

125 18.47 36.72 4.15 0.165
275 24.07 47.85 10.12 0.246
375 37.75 75.05 12.06 0.292
600 47.09 93.62 18.38 0.298
*
f is obtained dividing the ECSA by the geometric area of the test electrode
(0.5 cm2).

Fig. 12. Normalized cathodic polarisation curves of the samples form Fig. 11.

Fig. 10. CV curves (a) and hydrogen desorption charge; (b) of Pt samples with
varying thickness sputtered at 100 W dc power and 68 mTorr argon pressure in
0.5 M H2SO4 at 22 8C and scan rate of 100 mV s1.
the catalytic activity toward the partial reaction of oxygen
reduction.
As expected, the increase of the film thickness leads to an
increase in ECSA of the catalytic films and an improvement of the
electrochemical activity toward both ORR and OER. This is due to
the increased number of active sites available for adsorption of the
reactants on the catalyst which intensifies the corresponding
electrochemical reactions. At the same time the comparison of
polarisation curves shows that the current density does not
increase linearly with film thickness, suggesting that there is an
optimal thickness above which the ORR is not facilitated
accordingly. These results at first glance seem contradictory. The
fact that ECSA and the roughness factor scale linearly with the film
thickness, implies that there is no morphology change with the
increasing thickness. On the other hand, the SEM images in Fig. 4
clearly show an enlargement of the Pt crystallites, e.g., a change in
the morphology. However, we have to remember that the ECSA is
determined from the CVs recorded in deaerated (Ar purged)
solutions using the area under the hydrogen desorption peaks,
while the polarisation curves are recorded in oxygen saturated
electrolytes, and that the protons, having higher mobility/lower
size compared to the oxygen species most probably permeate
deeper in the porous Pt film thus, utilizing larger portions of the
catalyst.
The results in Table 1 suggest also that the utilization of the Pt
catalyst is not linearly proportional to the ECAS and the catalytic
loading. To illustrate this fact, in Fig. 12 are shown modified
cathodic polarisation curves for selected samples from the third
test series where the measured current density is normalized to
the thickness of the Pt layer. As it is seen, although the increase of
film thickness above 300 nm still intensifies the rate of the ORR
slightly, the utilization of Pt catalyst decreases essentially and
therefore, the catalysis becomes more expensive. According to
these results the most reasonable and beneficial is to fix the Pt film
thickness in the range of 120–130 nm where the high catalytic
activity is combined with maximum utilization of the platinum. Of
course, the choice has to be made in relation to the envisaged
application of the sputtered platinum film and the current density
required for each specific case.

4. Conclusions

This paper presents a parametric study of dc magnetron

Fig. 11. Cathodic polarisation curves of Pt films with varying thickness sputtered at
100 W dc power and 68 mTorr argon Ar pressure recorded in 0.5 M H2SO4 at 22 8C at
1 mV s1.
sputtered thin Pt films in which the influence of plasma excitation
dc power, inert gas pressure, and film thickness on the morphology
and catalytic activity toward ORR in sulfuric acid solutions was
investigated. It was found that by varying the sputtering
parameters it is possible to modify essentially the film morphology
and thus, to tailor its electrochemical behaviour. High sputtering
6486 E. Slavcheva et al. / Applied Surface Science 255 (2009) 6479–6486
pressure and low sputtering power proved to be beneficial to
ensure a large active surface and increased catalytic activity. The
highest efficiency combined with maximum catalyst utilization
was found for 120–130 nm thick Pt films sputtered at 68 mTorr
argon pressure and 100 W dc power.
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