Nowadays there is much interest in nanocomposites films consisting of metal nanoparticles embedded in polymeric matrix because they offer interesting electronic, optical and catalytic properties due to their very small dimensions. As result, various approaches have been used to incorporate metal nanoparticles into polymers. In this contribution a one-step plasma deposition process is described to obtain an uniform dispersion of small platinum nano-clusters throughout a thin hydrocarbon matrix (Pt/CH_X films). These composite films have been deposited by simultaneous plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition (PECVD) of ethylene (C₂H₄) and argon (Ar) gas mixtures and RF sputtering of a platinum target. Characterization of platinum-containing plasma-polymerized ethylene films has been realized using X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier Transform Infra-Red spectroscopy (FTIR), UV-Vis spectroscopy, Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). An in situ plasma diagnostic technique, Optical Emission Spectroscopy (OES), has been used to correlate the chemical composition of the plasma with the amount of metal embedded in the deposited film. A comprehensive study on the effect of different plasma parameters (RF power, deposition time, flow rate of gasses) on the chemical composition and structure of the film will be presented. Results show that platinum content in the coating can be carefully controlled by changing the RF power and the monomer flow rate. In particular TEM images confirm that platinum aggregates in nanoclusters in crystalline form distributed uniformly in the material. Furthermore the porosity due to the columnar film growth, together with the nanodispersion of the metal clusters, can be advantageously used for catalytic applications.

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