We report on the synthesis and characterization of epitaxial c-axis oriented Nb2AlC thin films deposited on c-axis sapphire (Al2O3) substrates by magnetron sputtering. Selected area electron diffraction reveal that independent of substrate temperature or film stoichiometry, there is the growth of a secondary phase not found in bulk, Nb5Al3Cx with a- and c-axis lattice constants of 7.746 angstrom and 5.246 angstrom, respectively. Scanning electron micrographs reveal large surface features, many with hexagonal shape and faceted texture. Atomic force microscopy topographical measurements indicate a surface roughness of approximately 15% of the total film thickness. Electrical transport measurements show typical metal-like conduction with a room temperature resistivity of approximate to 0.9 mu Omega-m and a residual resistivity ratio of 2.5. A superconducting transition was found at approximate to 440 mK. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.