In this work we investigated the possibilities to reduce the porosity of thin protective zirconium oxide films deposited with the sol-gel technique at low temperatures. Electrochemical investigations showed that the concentration of the stabilizing agent acetylacetone is a crucial parameter for the protection performance of the zirconium oxide films and that it is possible to run the deposition process at much lower temperatures with the optimum stabilizer concentration. This allows the application of the process to sensitive substrates that cannot be treated at high temperatures and reduces energy costs as Well. Characterization of the film structure with secondary ion mass spectrometry revealed that the stabilizing agent is responsible for the formation of a mixed oxide layer at the interface of substrate and coating. The thickness of this layer can be tuned with the concentration of the stabilizing agent. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.