Temperature effects in the early stages of titanium oxidation

The effect of the temperature on the first stages of the titanium oxidation process has been followed by means of Auger electron spectroscopy. We found, using principal component analysis, two different regimes depending on the substrate temperature. For temperatures below 200°C the oxidation is characterized by the presence of only one oxide phase: TiO2. At higher temperatures, the presence of Ti2O3 is detected from the beginning of the process.