Cobalt titanate–cobalt oxide composite thin films deposited from heterobimetallic precursor

A single molecular heterobimetallic complex, [Co 2 Ti(μ 3 ‐O)(TFA) 6 (THF) 3 ] (1) [TFA = trifluoroacetate, THF = tetrahydrofuran], was synthesized, structurally and spectroscopically characterized and implemented as a single‐source precursor for the preparation of CoTiO 3 –CoO composite thin films by aerosol‐assisted chemical vapour deposition (AACVD). The precursor complex was prepared by interaction of Co(OAc) 2 .4H 2 O [OAc = (CH 3 COO − )] with Ti(iso‐propoxide) 4 in the presence of trifluoroacetic acid in THF, and was analysed by melting point, CHN, FT‐IR, single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction and thermogravimetric analysis. The precursor complex thermally decomposed at 480 °C to give a residual mass corresponding to a CoTiO 3 –CoO composite material. Good‐quality crystalline CoTiO 3 –CoO composite thin films deposited at 500 °C by AACVD and characterized through powder X‐ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy/energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy show that the crystallites have a rose‐flower‐like morphology with an average petal size in the range of 2–6 µm. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.