Solution-Route Inkjet Fabrication of CeO₂ Thin Films with Tunable Microstructure

We report the fabrication and characterization of solution-route CeO₂ thin films with a tunable porosity and microstructure. Films were deposited by means of inkjet printing technique using 0.2 M, 0.4 M and 0.6 M concentration inks prepared from Ce(NO₃)₃·6H₂O precursor. Printing was performed at two different temperatures of 60 °C and 300 °C to study the variation in structure. Printing parameters were adjusted for the consecutive deposition of layers, resulting in ≈140 nm and ≈185 nm thick single layers for 60 °C and 300 °C printing temperatures, respectively. We compared the microstructure of printed films for different concentrations, printing temperatures, solvents and substrates. The formation of the cubic fluorite structure of the printed films was confirmed via XRD characterization. We suggest this technique as an advanced method for high-quality film fabrication with a controlled microstructure and with a minimal waste of materials. Through adjusting printing parameters, both dense and porous films can be produced for use in different applications.