Nanostructured films of iron, tin and titanium oxides were grown on glass and quartz by gas phase decomposition of [Fe(O
t
Bu)
3
]
2
, [Sn(O
t
Bu)
4
] and [Ti(O
i
Pr)
4
], respectively. Films obtained exhibit good adhesion and homogeneous morphology with structural features in the nanometer range. The influence of microstructure and phase on optical (
α
-Fe
2
O
3
and Fe
3
O
4
), gas sensing (SnO
2
) and photocatalytic (TiO
2
) properties was systematically studied to explore the potential of these coatings for technological applications.