Paper by Liam Johnston
The paper "Assessing the Potential of Non-pyrophoric Zn(DMP)2 for the Fast Deposition of ZnO Functional Coatings by Spatial Atomic Layer Deposition" has been published in RSC Applied Interfaces
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Here you will find Liam's paper
"Spatial atomic layer deposition (SALD) is a promising thin-film deposition technique that enables fast, large-scale deposition and nanoscale thickness control by utilizing spatially separated precursor vapors and a substrate-specimen relative motion, while being feasible in atmospheric pressure conditions. This study explores the use of a non-pyrophoric precursor, Zn(DMP)2, in open-air SALD to produce ZnO, and compares the SALD processing speed, thin-film properties, as well as the environmental impact of using this precursor versus the more conventional diethylzinc (DEZ), whose pyrophoricity discourages open-air processing. For this purpose, a life cycle analysis (LCA) study was carried out. Our investigation shows that Zn(DMP)2 open-air SALD can yield ZnO films faster than conventional ALD using DEZ producing high purity ZnO films at a rate of 0.7 Å at 180 °C, which corresponds to 184 Å/min maximal growth rate. Emphasizing practical applications, the conformality of the ZnO coating produced around silver nanowire (AgNW) networks by Zn(DMP)2 open-air SALD and the functionality of these protective coatings has also been demonstrated. The resulting transparent conductive nanocomposites had a substantially improved durability on par with their DEZ-synthesized counterparts."
"Spatial atomic layer deposition (SALD) is a promising thin-film deposition technique that enables fast, large-scale deposition and nanoscale thickness control by utilizing spatially separated precursor vapors and a substrate-specimen relative motion, while being feasible in atmospheric pressure conditions. This study explores the use of a non-pyrophoric precursor, Zn(DMP)2, in open-air SALD to produce ZnO, and compares the SALD processing speed, thin-film properties, as well as the environmental impact of using this precursor versus the more conventional diethylzinc (DEZ), whose pyrophoricity discourages open-air processing. For this purpose, a life cycle analysis (LCA) study was carried out. Our investigation shows that Zn(DMP)2 open-air SALD can yield ZnO films faster than conventional ALD using DEZ producing high purity ZnO films at a rate of 0.7 Å at 180 °C, which corresponds to 184 Å/min maximal growth rate. Emphasizing practical applications, the conformality of the ZnO coating produced around silver nanowire (AgNW) networks by Zn(DMP)2 open-air SALD and the functionality of these protective coatings has also been demonstrated. The resulting transparent conductive nanocomposites had a substantially improved durability on par with their DEZ-synthesized counterparts."