Synthesis of Cu–Cr diketo,sublimable, eutectic composite complex,rod crystals from LDH as suitable MOCVD precursor of CuCr2O4 catalysts upon ceramic preforms for N2O decomposition

Metal-acteylacetonates are important sublimable metal-organic precursors for metal-oxide thin film formation over solid preforms by MOCVD (Metal Organic Chemical Vapour Deposition) technique. Mixed-metal-acetylacetonates (MMAA) are suitable starting materials for mixed metal nano-oxidic thin film formation through such facile routes. Layered Double Hydroxides (LDH) of suitable metal ion combination can perform as appropriate starting base for neutralisation by enol form of 2,4-pentanedione or acteylacetonate tautomer ligands to obtain such MMAA. In this paper synthesis of composite crystals of Cu(II)/Cr(III) acetylacetonates (CCAA) is reported by the reaction of Cu–Cr-LDH with acetylacetone. The products were characterized by various different techniques. The surface area and pore volume analysis of the crystals showed the formation of nanopores in the compound. TEM analysis confirmed that the inner core of the nanoporous crystals of Cu(acac)₂ was covered by coating of poorly crystallised Cr(acac)₃ and they together form the composite crystals, and they together form the composite crystals. Due to eutectic mixture formation the melting point of CCAA lies in between the melting points of individual components Cu(acac)₂ and Cr(acac)₃ and shows sublimability, a property important for the formation of MOCVD films. The composite was used for CuCr₂O₄ spinel mixed oxide films formation over solid ceramic honeycomb monolithic substrates. Application prospects of the route in the field of catalysis is high as it can directly combine the benefits of mixed metal oxide catalysis and structured supports without the involvement of a third component. In this work the performance of such a catalytic device has been tested for low temperature decomposition of high Global Warming Potential (GWP) gas N₂O to N₂ and O₂.     

Molecular adsorption and the chemistry of plasma-deposited thin organic films: Deposition of oligomers of ethylene glycol

Weakly ionized, radio-frequency, glow-discharge plasmas formed from methyl ether or the vapors of a series of dimethyl oligo(ethylene glycol) precursors (general formula: H-(CH₂OCH₂)_n-H;n=1 to 4) were used to deposit organic thin films on polytetrafluoroethylene. X-ray photoelecton spectroscopy (XPS) and static secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) of the thin films were used to infer the importance of adsorption of molecular species from the plasma onto the surface of the growing, organic film during deposition. Films were prepared by plasma deposition of each precursor at similar deposition conditions (i.e., equal plasma power (W), precursor flow rate (F), and deposition duration), and at conditions such that the specific energy (energy/mass) of the discharge (assumed to be constrained byW/FM, whereM=molecular weight of the precursor) was constant. At constantW/FM conditions, two levels of plasma power (and, hence, twoFM levels) and three substrate temperatures were examined. By controlling the energy of the discharge (W/FM) and the substrate temperature, these experiments enabled the study of effects of the size and the vapor pressure of the precursor on the film chemistry. The atomic % of oxygen in the film surface, estimated by XPS, and the intensity of theC-O peak in the XPS C_ls spectra of the films, were used as indicators of the degree of incorporation of precursor moieties into the plasma-deposited films. Analysis of films by SIMS suggested that these two measures obtained from XPS were good indicators of the degree of retention in the deposited films of functional groups from the precursors. The XPS and SIMS data suggest that adsorption of intact precursor molecules or fragments of precursor molecules during deposition can have a significant effect on film chemistry. Plasma deposition of low vapor pressure precursors provides a convenient way of producing thin films with predictable chemistry and a high level of retention of functional groups from the precursor.     

Preparation and Characterisation of a New Thallium(I) Uranate(VI), Tl4UO5

A new thallium(I) uranate(VI) of composition Tl₄UO₅ was isolated and characterised by X-ray, i. r. and chemical analyses. The compound dissociated into thallium(I) oxide and Tl₂UO₄ on heating to 230°C and its subsequent thermal behaviour depended on the volatilisation and oxidation characteristics of the thallium(I) oxide released.     

Time‐of‐flight SIMS characterization of hydrolysed organofunctional and non‐organofunctional silanes deposited on Al,Zn and Al–43.4Zn–1.6Si alloy‐coated steel

In this paper Al, Zn and Al–43.4Zn–1.6Si (AlZn) alloy‐coated steel have been treated with the organofunctional silane γ‐mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane (γ‐MPS) and the non‐organofunctional silane 1,2‐bis(triethoxysilyl)ethane (BTSE). Also, a two‐step treatment of metal substrates was performed: the metal substrates were treated with the BTSE silane followed by a γ‐MPS treatment. The influence of metal substrate and the pH value of the silane film properties were investigated using time‐of‐flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF‐SIMS). The results show that the BTSE silane is fully hydrolysed but the γ‐MPS silane is not. The presence of negative ions of the type HSi_xO_y^? indicates that both types of silane films are highly cross‐linked via Si–O–Si bonds. The two‐step treatment gave a γ‐MPS silane layer on top of the BTSE silane layer but the thickness of the total silane film become thinner than for a single BTSE film, indicating that some of the BTSE is dissolved during the γ‐MPS deposition step. Furthermore, the ToF‐SIMS results show that the thiol group of the γ‐MPS silane is oxidized. Finally, no major influence, either in the positive or the negative mass spectra, from the different metal substrates could be detected for the silane films investigated. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Preparation of Thallium Hexacyanoferrate Film and Mixed‐Film Modified Electrodes with Cobalt(II) Hexacyanoferrate

Thallium hexacyanoferrate films have been prepared from various aqueous electrolyte solutions using consecutive cyclic voltammetry. The cyclic voltammograms recorded the direct deposition of thallium hexacyanoferrate films from the mixing of Tl³⁺ and [Fe(CN)₆]^3? ions from solutions of seven cations: Li⁺, Na⁺, K⁺, Rb⁺, Cs⁺, H⁺, and Tl⁺. An electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance (EQCM) and cyclic voltammetry were used to study the in situ growth of the thallium hexacyanoferrate films. The thallium hexacyanoferrate film shows a single redox couple with a formal potential between +0.6 V and +1.2 V, and shows a cation effect (H⁺, Li⁺, Na⁺, K⁺, Rb⁺, Cs⁺, and Tl⁺). A mixed film and a two‐layered modified electrodes composed of a thallium hexacyanoferrate film with cobalt(II) hexacyanoferrate film were prepared.     

STABILITY OF Se - Tl SCHOTTKY JUNCTIONS

Abstract

Evaporation of thallium on a crystallized layer of selenium results in an excellent Schottky diode, exhibiting a forward-to-reverse current ratio at 1 volt of some four to five orders of magnitude and a forward ideality factor close to unity. However, with the passage of time, there is a degradation in these electrical characteristics, if the thallium is exposed to the atmosphere, even at room temperature. The observed changes are a progressive increase in series resistance and a decrease in parallel capacitance. However, the changes with time can be greatly reduced if the thallium is covered with an evaporated film of Wood's metal. X-ray diffraction analysis of films of thallium deposited on glass substrates, shows that after prolonged exposure to air, the film is progressively transformed into Tl₂CO₃ . Oxide formation is only apparent after storage in oxygen, rather than air. The electrical degradation in the diodes is thus the result of atmospheric conversion of metallic thallium into the less conducting carbonate.     

Reduction of matrix effects in TOF‐SIMS analysis by metal‐assisted SIMS (MetA‐SIMS)

We investigated reduction of the matrix effect in time‐of‐flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF‐SIMS) analysis by the deposition of a small amount of metal on the sample surfaces (metal‐assisted SIMS or MetA‐SIMS). The metal used was silver, and the substrates used were silicon wafers as electroconductive substrates and polypropylene (PP) plates as nonelectroconductive substrates. Irganox 1010 and silicone oil on these substrates were analyzed by TOF‐SIMS before and after silver deposition. Before silver deposition, the secondary ion yields from the substances on the silicon wafer and PP plate were quite different due to the matrix effect from each substrate. After silver deposition, however, both ion yields were enhanced, particularly the sample on the PP plate, and little difference was seen between the two substrates. It was therefore found that the deposition of a small amount of metal on the sample surface is useful for reduction of the matrix effect. By reducing the matrix effect using this technique, it is possible to evaluate from the ion intensities the order of magnitude of the quantities of organic materials on different substrates. In addition, this reduction technique has clear utility for the imaging of organic materials on nonuniform substrates such as metals and polymers. MetA‐SIMS is thus a useful analysis tool for solving problems with real‐world samples. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Thallium(I)-Uranates(VI)

The solid state preparation, thermal and hydrolytic characteristics of thallium(I)—uranates(VI) are described. The phases identified were Tl₂UO₄, Tl₂U₂O₇ and a range of solid solution (Tl₂O. 2,33 UO₃? Tl₂O. 6 UO₃). The thallium uranates are isostructural with the corresponding potassium uranates. Tl₂U₂O₇ is the stable phase formed from the other uranates on hydrolytic treatment. The thallium uranates lose thallium(I) oxide on heating to temperatures above 750°C and the order of thermal stability is Tl₂U₆O₁₉～Tl₂U₃O₁₀～Tl₂U₂O₇»Tl₂UO₄.     

The issue of pseudoreplication when applying a statistical exploratory approach to extract relevant features from ToF‐SIMS spectra

The issue of automated peak selection in time‐of‐flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF‐SIMS) spectra is examined in relation to the hierarchical nature of the experimental design and the related existence of observations which are not statistically independent. To avoid unreliable results, the presence of pseudoreplication should be taken into account correctly. A combination of the recommended univariate peak selection approach with some multivariate techniques, namely principal component analysis and heat map data representation, is proposed to highlight and analyze obtained results for a set of ToF‐SIMS spectra from copper phthalocyanine thin films grown on TiO₂ substrates by a supersonic beam deposition apparatus. New insight is obtained on the effectiveness of the deposition for different working parameters of the process. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A thallium(I) tetranuclear cubic cage unit in an interpenetrated supramolecular polymer: A new precursor for the preparation of Tl2O3 nanostructures

A new thallium(I) supramolecular polymer, [Tl₄(μ₃-4-BN)₄]_n (1) [9-HBN = 4-hydroxy benzonitrile], with a disordered cubic cage structural unit has been synthesized and characterized. The single-crystal X-ray data of compound 1 shows one type of Tl^I ion in the tetranuclear cubic cage structure with a coordination number of three. In addition to two intra cage thallophilic interactions in 1, each thallium(I) atom has a weak Tl?N secondary interaction with the nitrile group of the 4-BN⁻ ligand. Finally the Tl-ions attain the O₃Tl?NTl₂ coordination sphere with a stereo-chemically ‘active’ electron lone pair on the metal. The self assembly between the benzonitrile groups of one cubic cage structure with an adjacent one with a Tl?N short contact, by π-π stacking and weak hydrogen bonding interactions, results in the formation of a new interpenetrating thallium(I) supramolecular polymer. The thermal stability of 1 was studied by thermo gravimetric (TG) and differential thermal analyses (DTA). Nanostructures of thallium(III) oxide were prepared from a calcination process of compound 1 fine powder at 743 K. These nanostructures were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM).     

MOCVD生长铁电氧化物薄膜MO源研究进展

高性能铁电氧化物薄膜是当今功能材料的研究热点之一.随着新型MO源的不断研究与开发,利用MOCVD技术制备高质量铁电薄膜材料得到了快速的发展.本文在分析金属醇盐和金属β-二酮化合物等MO源的结构与其物性依赖关系基础上,分类综述了近年来在用于MOCVD方法生长铁电氧化物薄膜的新型MO源研究和开发方面的发展动态与趋势,为MOCVD方法制备铁电薄膜材料MO源的选择提供有用的参考与借鉴.     

Prétraitements de nitruration compatibles avec les procédés MOCVD et PACVD: Influence sur l'adhérence de revêtements céramiques sur ACIER

The influence of nitriding pretreatments of steel substrates on the adhesion of representative ceramic coatings has been investigated. Vapor phase nitriding using the mixture NH₃/H₂/He has been applied before the growth by MOCVD of vanadium nitrides, carbonitrides and oxides. Similarly, microwave plasma nitriding using the mixture N₂/Ar was applied prior to the deposition by PACVD of silicon carbide based films. The nitriding pretreatment enhances the adhesion of plasma SiC(H) and MOCVD V(C,N) and V₂O₃ coatings but is not favorable to a better adhesion of MOCVD VN-type films. The different mechanical behaviors of these coatings are discussed in terms of compatibility between the combined processes.     

Time‐of‐flight secondary ion mass spectroscopic characterization of the nitrogen profile of shallow gate oxynitride thermally grown on a silicon substrate

Silicon oxynitride has been used as a shallow gate oxide material for microelectronics and its thickness has been reduced over the years to only a few tens of angstroms due to device size scaling. The nitride distribution and density characteristic in the gate oxide thus becomes imperative for the devices. The shallow depth profiling capability using time‐of‐flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF‐SIMS) has huge potential for the nitrogen characterization of the shallow gate oxide film. In this article, both positive and negative spectra of TOF‐SIMS on silicon oxynitride have been extensively studied and it was found that the silicon nitride clusters Si_xN^? (x = 1–4) are able to represent the nitrogen profiles because their ion yields are high enough, especially for the low‐level nitride doping in the oxide, which is formed by the annealing of nitric oxide on SiO₂/Si. The gate oxide thickness measured by the TOF‐SIMS profiling method using ¹⁸O or CsO profile calibration was found to correlate very well with transmission electron microscope measurement. The nitrogen concentration in the gate oxide measured using the TOF‐SIMS method was consistent with the results obtained using the dynamic SIMS method, which is currently applied to relatively thicker oxynitride films. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Substrate temperature effects on film chemistry in plasma deposition of organics. III. Analysis by static secondary ion mass spectrometry

Static secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) was used to examine the effect of reducing the substrate temperature during the radio frequency plasma deposition of organic films. Studies of two polymerizable plasma precursors (2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate and acrylic acid) and one nonpolymerizable precursor (acetone) deposited without substrate cooling and with liquid nitrogen cooling are presented. Acetone deposited with methanol/dry ice cooling was also investigated. Spectra of polymerizable precursors were analyzed by comparison to spectra for the corresponding conventionally-polymerized polymer films [i.e., poly(hydroxyethyl methacrylate) and poly(acrylic acid)]. Acetone spectra were interpreted by reference to SIMS analysis of plasma-deposited films prepared from isotopically-labelled acetone and to reference homopolymers. Comparison of the SIMS spectra of films deposited at different substrate temperatures indicates that a reduction in substrate temperature generally results in higher intensity of peaks characteristic of oxygenated ion structures. SIMS also suggests that the reduction of substrate temperature results in less polymer unsaturation and fewer structures which form by hydrogen redistribution during the deposition process. These results support the hypothesis that deposition at low substrate temperatures leads to an increase in the proportion of precursor incorporated into the film without substantial fragmentation. Corroborative results from high resolution x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and assays for precursor functional groups by chemical derivatization reactions in conjunction with XPS are also presented. © 1992 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Simultaneous formation of ferrite nanocrystals and deposition of thin films via a microwave-assisted nonaqueous sol–gel process

Combination of the surfactant-free nonaqueous sol–gel approach with the microwave technique makes it possible to synthesize Fe₃O₄, CoFe₂O₄, MnFe₂O₄, and NiFe₂O₄ nanoparticles of about 5–6 nm and with high crystallinity and good morphological uniformity. The synthesis involves the reaction of metal acetates or acetylacetonates as precursors with benzyl alcohol at 170 °C under microwave irradiation of 12 min. Immersion of glass substrates in the reaction solution results in the deposition of homogeneous metal ferrite films whose thickness can be adjusted through the precursor concentration. If preformed nickel nanoparticles are used as a type of curved substrate, the ferrite nanoparticles coat the seeds and form core–shell structures. These results extend the microwave-assisted nonaqueous sol–gel approach beyond the simple synthesis of nanoparticles to the preparation of thin films on flat or curved substrates.     

Supported Pdn (n=1?20) cluster reactivity : CO chemisorption

The Pd_n clusters are prepared by vapour deposition in an UHV chamber providing static secondary ion mass spectrometry (SSIMS) and thermo-programmed desorption analysis (TPD) facilities. By adjusting deposition parameters we are able to obtain isolated Pd species, dimers etc... In the present work we used as substrates thin films of -Alumina. We show that the reactivity and the kinetics of the CO-Pd_n association depends on the cluster size.     

Deposition of CuInS2 thin films using copper- and indium/sulfide-containing precursors through a two-stage MOCVD method

Copper indium disulfide (CuInS2; CIS) films were deposited on various substrates by two-stage metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) at relatively mild conditions, using Cu- and In/S-containing precursors without toxic H2S gas: first, a pure Cu thin film was prepared on glass or indium/tin oxide glass substrates by using a single-source precursor, bis(ethylbutyrylacetato)copper(II) or bis(ethylisobutyrylacetato)copper(II); second, on the resulting Cu film, tris(N,N-ethylbutyldithiocarbamato)indium(III) was treated to produce CIS films by a MOCVD method at 430 degrees C. In this process, their thicknesses and stoichiometries were found to be elaborately controlled on demand by adjusting the process conditions. The optical band gap of the stoichiometric CIS film was about 1.41 eV, which is in the near-optimal range for harvesting solar radiation energy.     

Dépôt chimique en phase vapeur à basse température de revêtements dans le système V-C-N à partir de bis(arene)vanadium

Vanadium carbide coatings V₈C₇ have been deposited on steel substrates by MOCVD using bis(arene)vanadiums as precursors at temperatures lower than 550 °C. Addition of C₆Cl₆ in the gas phase allows to reduce the carbon content of the films to 13 at. %. These metal coatings exhibit the features of a metastable carbon-rich solid solution. Carbonitride V(C,N) and nitride δ-VN layers with only 5 at. % carbon have been deposited in the presence of NH₃. These reactive gas phases allow to grow almost all the phases of the V-C-N ternary diagram.     

Chemical Vapor Deposition of SnO2 Thin Films from Bis(β‐diketonato)tin Complexes

A series of bis(β‐diketonato)tin compounds have been systematically synthesized and examined as precursors for chemical vapor deposition of SnO₂ thin films. These complexes were characterized by elemental analyses and NMR, IR and mass spectroscopic methods. X‐ray single‐crystal determination of Sn(tfac)₂ reveals that the complex possesses a distorted trigonal bipyramidal structure. The SnO₂ films can be deposited on the substrates such as silicon, titanium nitride, and glass by using Sn(hfac)₂, Sn(tfac)₂ and Sn(acac)₂ as CVD precursors at deposition temperatures of 300‐600°C with a carrier gas of O₂. The deposition rates range from 20 to 600 Å/min. Deposited films have been characterized by XRD, SEM, AFM, AES and AAS analyses.     

Synthesis and characterization of volatile,fluorine-free beta-ketoiminate lanthanide MOCVD precursors and their implementation in low-temperature growth of epitaxial CeO(2) buffer layers for superconducting electronics

A new class of volatile, low-melting, fluorine-free lanthanide metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) precursors has been developed. The neutral, monomeric Ce, Nd, Gd, and Er complexes are coordinatively saturated by a versatile, multidentate ether-functionalized beta-ketoiminato ligand series, the melting point and volatility characteristics of which can be tuned by altering the alkyl substituents on the keto, imino, and ether sites of the ligand. Direct comparison with conventional lanthanide beta-diketonate complexes reveals that the present precursor class is a superior choice for lanthanide oxide MOCVD. Epitaxial CeO(2) buffer layer films can be grown on (001) YSZ substrates by MOCVD at significantly lower temperatures (450-650 degrees C) than previously possible by using one of the newly developed cerium beta-ketoiminate precursors. Films deposited at 540 degrees C have good out-of-plane (Deltaomega = 0.85 degrees ) and in-plane (Deltaphi = 1.65 degrees ) alignment and smooth surfaces (rms roughness approximately 4.3 A). The film growth rate decreases and the films tend to be smoother as the deposition temperature is increased. High-quality yttrium barium copper oxide (YBCO) films grown on these CeO(2) buffer layers by pulsed organometallic molecular beam epitaxy exhibit very good electrical transport properties (T(c) = 86.5 K, J(c) = 1.08 x 10(6) A/cm(2) at 77.4 K).