Atomic Layer Deposition of ZnO on Mesoporous Silica: Insights into Growth Behavior of ZnO via In-Situ Thermogravimetric Analysis

Abstract

ZnO is a remarkable material with many applications in electronics and catalysis. Atomic layer deposition (ALD) of ZnO on flat substrates is an industrially applied and well-known process. Various studies describe the growth of ZnO layers on flat substrates. However, the growth characteristics and reaction mechanisms of atomic layer deposition of ZnO on mesoporous powders have not been well studied. This study investigates the ZnO ALD process based on diethylzinc (DEZn) and water with silica powder as substrate. In-situ thermogravimetric analysis gives direct access to the growth rates and reaction mechanisms of this process. Ex-situ analytics, e.g., N2 sorption analysis, XRD, XRF, HRTEM, and STEM-EDX mapping, confirm deposition of homogenous and thin films of ZnO on SiO2. In summary, this study offers new insights into the fundamentals of an ALD process on high surface area powders.

Design of PtZn nanoalloy catalysts for propane dehydrogenation through interface tailoring via atomic layer deposition

“…An in-situ gravimetric study of the growth behaviour of ZnO on SiO 2 is reported elsewhere. 37 In the ZnO ALD process,…”

“…Details and descriptions are given elsewhere. 37 Therefore, to the best of our knowledge, this study is the first study that uses ALD of ZnO to synthesize in a controlled way a bimetallic PtZn nanoalloy catalyst for dehydrogenation of alkanes.…”

“…36 A detailed report of this process on powder substrates is given elsewhere, along with characterization results for the ALD modified materials. 37 Figure 1 summarizes the design strategy for the final nanoalloy catalyst. After the ALD process, Pt nanoparticles are deposited on the ZnO/SiO 2 support via incipient wetness impregnation.…”

Toolbox for atomic layer deposition process development on high surface area powders

“…% Zn). 63 As for Al, the Zn surface concentration can be calculated and correlated with the surface hydroxyl group density. For the DEZ deposition at 80 ○ C, the Zn concentration is 2.1 Zn/nm 2 and with that only 63% of the OH groups might be covered.…”

Hydrogen and Deuterium Incorporation in ZnO Films Grown by Atomic Layer Deposition

“…The unique assets of ALD have attracted the attention of ALDgrown ZnO films for various applications. For example, the excellent conformality enables the deposition of ZnO on high surface area powders used in catalysis [8]. Doped ZnO can be used as transparent conductive oxide (TCO) for optoelectronics [9] and ZnO can be deposited at near room temperature [6,[10][11][12][13], making ALD a suitable deposition method for temperaturesensitive substrates such as polymers.…”