TiCrMn coatings deposited by means of plasma sputtering on Si substrates for hydrogen storage applications

Hydrogen is a promising energy carrier for both mobile and stationary applications. However standard hydrogen storage methods present elevated energy costs and safety problems. A solution to overcome these obstacles can be found in the usage of solid-state storage. In this case, hydrogen reacts with metals to form metallic hydrides. In this work, the deposition process of thin films, suitable for hydrogen storage, on silicon substrate by means of RF plasma sputtering is described. For this purpose, Ti-Cr1.38Mn0.4 (at %) has been used as target and the deposition parameters optimized in order to obtain coatings of about 1-2 micrometer. Moreover, a Ti interlayer has been deposited to enhance the film stability. Samples have been characterized by means of XRD, AFM, SEM and EDS.