Rapid atomic layer deposition of silica nanolaminates: synergistic catalysis of Lewis/Brønsted acid sites and interfacial interactions

Nanoscale. 2013 Dec 7;5(23):11856-69. doi: 10.1039/c3nr02086j.

Abstract

Rapid atomic layer deposition (RALD) has been applied to prepare various nanolaminates with repeated multilayer structures. The possible reaction pathways for RALD of the Al2O3/SiO2 nanolaminate using trimethylaluminum (TMA) and tris(tert-butoxy)silanol (TBS) are investigated by using density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The introduction of a Lewis-acid catalyst, TMA, can result in the formation of the catalytic site, which accelerates the propagation of the siloxane polymer. The rate-determining step of whole RALD is the elimination of isobutene of the tert-butoxy groups. The Brønsted acid site of [AlO4] can catalyze the elimination of isobutene. At the same time, the interfacial interactions, such as hydrogen bonding interactions between tert-butoxy groups and the surface, further catalyze the elimination of isobutene and accelerate SiO2 RALD reactions. The synergistic catalysis of Lewis/Brønsted acid sites and interfacial interactions may be applied in the RALD fabrication of other silica nanolaminates, such as HfO2/SiO2, ZrO2/SiO2, and TiO2/SiO2, in microelectronics, catalysis, energy storage, and conversion.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't