In this account, Mn1.85Co0.3Ni0.85O4 (MCN) thin films with various surface morphologies were prepared using the sol-gel technique, and the resulting deposits were analyzed by various analytical methods. The crystal structure of the films was determined by XRD analysis and was shown as cubic spinel structure. The film morphology characterized by SEM showed that the surface structure of the films was affected by the preparation conditions, and the elemental composition investigated by EDX revealed that the nano and porous structure of the surface boosted the number of the oxygen vacancies present in the films. The effects of evolution in surface morphology on the thermal and humidity sensing properties of the films were investigated and analyzed. The results suggested that the surface morphology and the corresponding sensing properties of MCN films could be adjusted by the preparation conditions to yield suitable thermal and humidity multifunctional sensors with high performance. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.