Aerosol assisted chemical vapour deposition of Cu–ZnO composite from single source precursors

Abstract

Two heterobimetallic precursors [Zn(TFA)₃(μ-OH)Cu₃(dmae)₃Cl]·THF (1) and [Zn(TFA)₄Cu₃(dmae)₄] (2) [dmae = N,N-dimethylaminoethanolate and TFA = trifluoroacetate], have been synthesized and characterized by their melting points, elemental analysis, FT-IR spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, TGA and single crystal X-ray diffraction methods. Both complexes were used to deposit thin films of Cu–ZnO composite on glass substrates by aerosol assisted chemical vapor deposition (AACVD) method. The films were characterized by “scotch tape” test for adhesion, thickness measurement as a function of temperature, EDX for composition, SEM for surface morphology and XRD for crystalline phases. Thin film deposition studies at 250, 325, 400, 475 °C indicated the increase in thickness with temperature reaching a maximum at 400 °C and then decreasing. EDX and PXRD results showed the uniform distribution of cubic metallic copper and hexagonal zinc oxide phases which make them useful for nanocatalysis on structured surfaces.