Preliminary results referring to the synt
hesis of tungsten oxide thin films with
possible utilization as photoanode for water
splitting are presented. WO
3
thin films were deposited on optical glass s
ubstrate by dip coating method, using aqueous
solutions of peroxotungstic acid (PTA). The dipping solution was prepared from tungsten oxide hydrate (WO
3
⋅
xH
2
O) and
hydrogen peroxide in well controlled conditions. After co
ating, the sol-gel derived films were heated at 250-550
0
C to
complete the dehydration of the tungsten
oxide precursors. Different characterisati
on techniques were used to evaluate the
cristalline structure (X Ray Diffraction-XRD), the morphology
and particle size (Scanning Electron Microscopy-SEM), the
behavior during the heating procees (Thermal Analysis- TGA-
SDTA) and optical and structural properties (UV-Vis and FTIR
Spectroscopy) of tungst
en oxide precursors and WO
3
films.A correlation between pr
eparation conditions and the
characteristics of tungst
en oxide precursors and WO
3
films was established