Ferroelectric (Pb0.76Ca0.24)TiO3 (PCT) thin films were grown on LaNiO3 (LNO) coated Si(1 1 1) and fused quartz substrates by using a sol-gel process. The highly (1 0 0)-oriented PCT films on LNO coated Si(1 1 1) substrates, and random oriented pervoskite PCT thin films on fused quartz substrates have been obtained, respectively. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) revealed that the surface morphology smooth. PCT films on LNO coated Si(1 1 1) and fused quartz substrates, the grain sizes were about 60-120 and 40-60 nm, respectively. The PCT thin films on LNO coated Si(1 1 1) and fused quartz substrates annealed at 600 degreesC have the remanent polarization (P-r) and coercive electric field (E-c) values were 9.3 muC/cm(2) and 64 kV/cm, 1.4 muC/cm(2) and 28 kV/cm, respectively. At 100 kHz, the dielectric content and dielectric loss of the PCT films on LNO coated Si(1 1 1) and fused quartz substrates were 231 and 0.045, 160 and 0.061, respectively. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.