Chromium (III) oxide is a technologically interesting material with attractive chemical, catalytic, magnetic and mechanical properties. It can be produced by different chemical and physical methods, for instance, by metal–organic chemical vapor deposition, thermal decomposition of chromium nitrate Cr(NO₃)₃ or ammonium dichromate (NH₄)₂Cr₂O₇, magnetron sputtering and atomic layer deposition. The latter method was used in the current work to deposit Cr₂O₃ thin films with thicknesses from 28 to 400 nm at deposition temperatures from 330 to 465 °C. The phase composition, crystallite size, hardness and modulus of elasticity were measured. The deposited Cr₂O₃ thin films had different structures from X-ray amorphous to crystalline α-Cr₂O₃ (eskolaite) structures. The averaged hardness of the films on SiO₂ glass substrate varied from 12 to 22 GPa and the moduli were in the range of 76–180 GPa, as determined by nanoindentation. Lower values included some influence from a softer deposition substrate. The results indicate that Cr₂O₃ could be a promising material as a mechanically protective thin film applicable, for instance, in micro-electromechanical devices.

In previous decades, investigation of superconductors was aimed either at finding materials with higher critical temperatures or at discovering nontypical superconducting behavior. Here, we present the cupric (CuO) thin films, which were synthesized by atomic layer deposition by using a metal-organic precursor, copper (II)-bis-(-dimethylamino-2-propoxide), and ozone as an oxidizer. The deposition process was optimized by employing a quartz crystal monitoring, and the contact between the deposited films and planar and three-dimensional SiO₂/Si substrates was examined by scanning electron microscopy with a focused ion beam module. Phase and elemental composition were analyzed by X-ray diffraction and X-ray fluorescence. Two-probe electrical resistivity measurements revealed a resistivity drop below the critical temperature of 4 K, which may indicate low-temperature superconductivity of the CuO thin films.

The oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity and durability of Pt nanoparticles sputtered on Nb-doped TiO₂ coated glassy carbon and titanium electrodes were investigated. The Nb-TiO₂ thin-film coatings were deposited by atomic layer deposition. Scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy analysis revealed a uniform coating of the electrode substrates with doped-metal oxide. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis confirmed the presence of Nb, Ti, and Pt metals on the electrode surface. Electrochemical characterization of the prepared catalysts was performed by cyclic voltammetry and CO stripping experiments in 0.05 M H₂SO₄ solution. The Pt/Nb-TiO₂ catalyst showed remarkable electrocatalytic activity toward the ORR at a very low Pt loading of 8.6 μg cm⁻². The accelerated durability test confirmed that Pt/Nb-TiO₂ catalyst was more durable than the commercial Pt/C (20 wt.%). More importantly, the prepared Pt/Nb-TiO₂ electrocatalyst showed a considerable increase in the electrochemically active surface area as well as the ORR activity after the durability test.

A thin industrial corrosion-protection nanostructured coating for the Al alloy AA2024-T3 is demonstrated. The coating is prepared in a two-step process utilizing hard anodizing as a pre-treatment, followed by sealing and coating by atomic layer deposition (ALD). In the first step, anodizing in sulfuric acid at a low temperature converts the alloy surface into a low-porosity anodic oxide. In the second step, the pores are sealed and coated by low-temperature ALD using different metal oxides. The resulting nanostructured ceramic coatings are thoroughly characterized by cross-sectioning using a focused ion beam, followed by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray microanalysis, and nanoindentation and are tested via linear sweep voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, salt spray, and energetic atomic oxygen flow. The best thin corrosion protection coating, made by anodizing at 20 V, 1 °C and sealing and coating with amorphous Al₂O₃/TiO₂ nanolaminate, exhibits no signs of corrosion after a 1000 h ISO 9227 salt spray test and demonstrates a maximum surface hardness of 5.5 GPa. The same coating also suffers negligible damage in an atomic oxygen test, which is comparable to 1 year of exposure to space in low Earth orbit.