Oblique angle deposition of nanocolumnar TiZrN films via reactive magnetron co-sputtering technique: The influence of the Zr target powers

Phae-ngam, Wuttichai; Horprathum, Mati; Chananonnawathorn, Chanunthorn; Lertvanithphol, Tossaporn; Samransuksamer, Benjarong; Songsiriritthigul, Prayoon; Nakajima, Hideki; Chaiyakun, Surasing

doi:10.1016/j.cap.2019.05.002

Cited by 27 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 55 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Unlike this situation with electrodes prepared with chemical methods, MS permits the preparation of thin films with different oxidation states but similar microstructures, thus providing a unique way to determine the best layer characteristics for the OER. Since an efficient control of the film microstructure during MS growth can be achieved varying the geometry of the deposition, very porous and nanocolumnar electrodes have been prepared by oblique angle deposition (OAD). − Meanwhile, the chemistry of the deposits, from metal to oxide or oxyhydroxide, has been controlled by modifying the composition of the gas mixture in the magnetron plasma discharge . Thanks to the capacity to reproduce similar microstructures for different compositions of the nickel phase, we have customized the nickel anode composition and layer distribution (metal, oxide, or oxyhydroxide phases within monolayer or bilayer structures) to determine the best anode configuration/chemical state to maximize the OER yield.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Chemistry and Electrocatalytic Activity of Nanostructured Nickel Electrodes for Water Electrolysis

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Herein we have developed nanostructured nickel-based electrode films for anion exchange membrane water electrolysis (AEMWE). The electrodes were prepared by magnetron sputtering (MS) in an oblique angle configuration and under various conditions aimed at preparing metallic, oxide, or oxyhydroxide films. Their electrochemical analysis has been complemented with a thorough physicochemical characterization to determine the effect of microstructure, chemical state, bilayer structure, and film thickness on the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). The maximum electrocatalytic activity was found for the metallic electrode, where analysis by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) demonstrated that the active catalytic phase at the surface after its electrochemical conditioning is a kind of oxidized nickel oxide/hydroxide layer with the thickness of a few nanometers. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy analysis of these steady-state working electrodes supports that the enhanced performance of the metallic nickel anode vs other chemical states resides in the easier electron transfer through the electrode films and the various interlayers built up during their fabrication and activation. The long-term steady-state operation of the anodes and their efficiency for water splitting was proved in a full-cell AEMWE setup incorporating magnetron-sputtered metallic nickel as the cathode. This work proves that MS is a suitable technique to prepare active, stable, and low-cost electrodes for AEMWE and the capacity of this technique to control the chemical state of the electrocatalytically active layers involved in the OER.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Chemistry and Electrocatalytic Activity of Nanostructured Nickel Electrodes for Water Electrolysis

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Combining oblique angle geometries and sputter-deposition technique provides additional degree of freedom to adjust the film morphological features (porosity and column tilt angle) and stoichiometry by varying the deposition pressure or target power [7][8][9][10][11] and employing more than one material source [12][13][14][15]. However, studies on transition metal nitride (TMN) films produced at OAD or GLAD conditions remain relatively underexplored [16][17][18][19][20][21]. Long-used as protective hard coatings, for which achieving a dense and compact microstructure is a pre-requisite, TMN are foreseen as promising candidate materials for plasmonic and sensing applications [22][23][24].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Texture and Stress Evolution in HfN Films Sputter-Deposited at Oblique Angles

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In this study, polycrystalline hafnium nitride (HfN) thin films were grown by oblique angle deposition (OAD) technique to investigate the relationship between column tilt angle, texture development and residual stress evolution with varying inclination angle α of the substrate. The films (~1 μm thickness) were grown at various angles (α = 5°, 25°, 35°, 65°, 75°, and 85°) with respect to the substrate normal by reactive magnetron sputtering at 0.3 Pa and 300 °C. The film morphology, crystal structure and residual stress state were characterized by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD), including pole figure and sin2ψ measurements. All HfN films had a cubic, NaCl-type crystal structure with an [111] out-of-plane orientation and exhibited a biaxial texture for α ≥ 35°. XRD pole figures reveal that the crystal habit of the grains consists of {100} facets constituting triangular-base pyramids, with a side and a corner facing the projection of the incoming particle flux (indicative of a double in-plane alignment). A columnar microstructure was formed for α ≥ 35°, with typical column widths of 100 nm. It is observed that the column tilt angle β increases monotonously for α ≥ 35°, reaching β = 34° at α = 85°. This variation at microscopic scale is correlated with the tilt angle of the (111) crystallographic planes, changing from −24.8 to 11.3° with respect to the substrate surface. The residual stress changes from strongly compressive (~−5 GPa at α = 5°) to negligible or slightly tensile for α ≥ 35°. The observed trends are compared to previous works of the literature and discussed based on existing crystal growth and stress models, as well as in light of energy and angular distribution of the incident particle flux calculated by Monte Carlo. Importantly, a decrease of the average kinetic energy of Hf particles from 22.4 to 17.7 eV is found with increasing α due to an increase number of collisions.

show abstract

“…When the momentum of the incident ions in the plasma discharge is high enough, their interaction with the atoms at the surface of the target causes their sputtering and deposition onto a given nearby substrate. This technique operates at room temperature, is highly reproducible, and can be easily scaled up for large area manufacturing at the industrial level [114,115]. MS is an easy-to-use, safe technique, and due to its dry character, it does not generate wastes that are potentially detrimental for the environment [80,116].…”

Section: Magnetron Sputtering Depositionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To maximize the performance for water splitting, electrodes must present a high porosity and a large electrochemical active surface area [122]. The OAD-MS technique permits the fabrication of highly porous electrodes consisting of nanocolumns separated by large voids [115,123]. This nanocolumnar microstructure stems from atomic shadowing effects taking place during the electrode growth [124][125][126].…”

Section: Magnetron Sputtering Depositionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Recent Advances in Alkaline Exchange Membrane Water Electrolysis and Electrode Manufacturing

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Water electrolysis to obtain hydrogen in combination with intermittent renewable energy resources is an emerging sustainable alternative to fossil fuels. Among the available electrolyzer technologies, anion exchange membrane water electrolysis (AEMWE) has been paid much attention because of its advantageous behavior compared to other more traditional approaches such as solid oxide electrolyzer cells, and alkaline or proton exchange membrane water electrolyzers. Recently, very promising results have been obtained in the AEMWE technology. This review paper is focused on recent advances in membrane electrode assembly components, paying particular attention to the preparation methods for catalyst coated on gas diffusion layers, which has not been previously reported in the literature for this type of electrolyzers. The most successful methodologies utilized for the preparation of catalysts, including co-precipitation, electrodeposition, sol–gel, hydrothermal, chemical vapor deposition, atomic layer deposition, ion beam sputtering, and magnetron sputtering deposition techniques, have been detailed. Besides a description of these procedures, in this review, we also present a critical appraisal of the efficiency of the water electrolysis carried out with cells fitted with electrodes prepared with these procedures. Based on this analysis, a critical comparison of cell performance is carried out, and future prospects and expected developments of the AEMWE are discussed.

show abstract

Oblique angle deposition of nanocolumnar TiZrN films via reactive magnetron co-sputtering technique: The influence of the Zr target powers

Cited by 27 publications

References 55 publications

Chemistry and Electrocatalytic Activity of Nanostructured Nickel Electrodes for Water Electrolysis

Chemistry and Electrocatalytic Activity of Nanostructured Nickel Electrodes for Water Electrolysis

Texture and Stress Evolution in HfN Films Sputter-Deposited at Oblique Angles

Recent Advances in Alkaline Exchange Membrane Water Electrolysis and Electrode Manufacturing

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About