Issue 40, 2014

Electrochemical synthesis of flat-[Ga13−xInx3-OH)6(μ-OH)18(H2O)24(NO3)15] clusters as aqueous precursors for solution-processed semiconductors

Abstract

Flat-[Ga133-OH)6(μ-OH)18(H2O)24](NO3)15 (Ga13) and heterometallic [Ga13−xInx3-OH)6(μ-OH)18(H2O)24](NO3)15 (x = 5, 4) clusters were synthesized by the electrolysis of metal nitrate salt solutions to directly form, without purification, aqueous precursor inks for InxGa13−xOy semiconducting films in <2 h. Raman spectroscopy and 1H-NMR spectroscopy confirm the presence of [Ga13−xInx3-OH)6(μ-OH)18(H2O)24(NO3)15] clusters. Bottom-gate thin-film transistors were fabricated using ∼15 nm-thick Ga13−xInxOy films as the active channel layer, displaying turn-on voltages of −2 V, and on/off current ratios greater than 106. The average channel mobility of the transistors fabricated from the cluster solutions generated by electrolysis was ∼5 cm−2 V−1s−1 which was more than twice that of transistors fabricated from control solutions with the simple nitrate salt precursors of ∼2 cm−2 V−1s−1. Electrochemical cluster synthesis thus provides a simple and direct route to aqueous precursors for solution-processed inorganic electronics.

Graphical abstract: Electrochemical synthesis of flat-[Ga13−xInx(μ3-OH)6(μ-OH)18(H2O)24(NO3)15] clusters as aqueous precursors for solution-processed semiconductors

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Communication
Submitted
25 Jun 2014
Accepted
29 Aug 2014
First published
29 Aug 2014
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY license

J. Mater. Chem. C, 2014,2, 8492-8496

Author version available

Electrochemical synthesis of flat-[Ga13−xInx3-OH)6(μ-OH)18(H2O)24(NO3)15] clusters as aqueous precursors for solution-processed semiconductors

M. E. Carnes, C. C. Knutson, A. Nadarajah, M. N. Jackson, A. F. Oliveri, K. M. Norelli, B. M. Crockett, S. R. Bauers, H. A. Moreno-Luna, B. N. Taber, Daniel. J. Pacheco, J. Z. Olson, K. R. Brevick, C. E. Sheehan, D. W. Johnson and S. W. Boettcher, J. Mater. Chem. C, 2014, 2, 8492 DOI: 10.1039/C4TC01354A

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