An official website of the United States government
The electron-induced decomposition of Fe(CO)4MA (MA = methyl acrylate), which is a potential new precursor for focused electron beam-induced deposition (FEBID), was investigated by surface science experiments under UHV conditions. Auger electron spectroscopy was used to monitor deposit formation. The comparison between Fe(CO)4MA and Fe(CO)5revealed the effect of the modified ligand architecture on the deposit formation in electron irradiation experiments that mimic FEBID and cryo-FEBID processes. Electron-stimulated desorption and post-irradiation thermal desorption spectrometry were used to obtain insight into the fate of the ligands upon electron irradiation. As a key finding, the deposits obtained from Fe(CO)4MA and Fe(CO)5were surprisingly similar, and the relative amount of carbon in deposits prepared from Fe(CO)4MA was considerably less than the amount of carbon in the MA ligand. This demonstrates that electron irradiation efficiently cleaves the neutral MA ligand from the precursor. In addition to deposit formation by electron irradiation, the thermal decomposition of Fe(CO)4MA and Fe(CO)5on an Fe seed layer prepared by EBID was compared. While Fe(CO)5sustains autocatalytic growth of the deposit, the MA ligand hinders the thermal decomposition in the case of Fe(CO)4MA. The heteroleptic precursor Fe(CO)4MA, thus, offers the possibility to suppress contributions of thermal reactions, which can compromise control over the deposit shape and size in FEBID processes.
more »
« less
Efficient NH3-based process to remove chlorine from electron beam deposited ruthenium produced from (η3-C3H5)Ru(CO)3Cl
Abstract The fabrication of Ru nanostructures by focused electron beam induced deposition (FEBID) requires suitable precursor molecules and processes to obtain the pure metal. So far this is problematic because established organometallic Ru precursors contain large organic ligands, such as cyclopentadienyl anions, that tend to become embedded in the deposit during the FEBID process. Recently, (η3-C3H5)Ru(CO)3X (X = Cl, Br) has been proposed as an alternative precursor because CO can easily desorb under electron exposure. However, allyl and Cl ligands remain behind after electron irradiation and the removal of the halide requires extensive electron exposures. Auger electron spectroscopy is applied to demonstrate a postdeposition purification process in which NH3is used as a reactant that enhances the removal of Cl from deposits formed by electron irradiation of thin condensed layers of (η3-C3H5)Ru(CO)3Cl. The loss of CO from the precursor during electron-induced decomposition enables a reaction between NH3and the Cl ligands that produces HCl. The combined use of electron-stimulated desorption experiments and thermal desorption spectrometry further reveals that thermal reactions contribute to the loss of CO in the FEBID process but remove only minor amounts of the allyl and Cl ligands.
more »
« less
- Award ID(s):
- 1904802
- PAR ID:
- 10167471
- Publisher / Repository:
- Nature Publishing Group
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Scientific Reports
- Volume:
- 10
- Issue:
- 1
- ISSN:
- 2045-2322
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
More Like this
-
-
Ion beam-induced deposition (IBID) using Pt(CO)2Cl2and Pt(CO)2Br2as precursors has been studied with ultrahigh-vacuum (UHV) surface science techniques to provide insights into the elementary reaction steps involved in deposition, complemented by analysis of deposits formed under steady-state conditions. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and mass spectrometry data from monolayer thick films of Pt(CO)2Cl2and Pt(CO)2Br2exposed to 3 keV Ar+, He+, and H2+ions indicate that deposition is initiated by the desorption of both CO ligands, a process ascribed to momentum transfer from the incident ion to adsorbed precursor molecules. This precursor decomposition step is accompanied by a decrease in the oxidation state of the Pt(II) atoms and, in IBID, represents the elementary reaction step that converts the molecular precursor into an involatile PtX2species. Upon further ion irradiation these PtCl2or PtBr2species experience ion-induced sputtering. The difference between halogen and Pt sputter rates leads to a critical ion dose at which only Pt remains in the film. A comparison of the different ion/precursor combinations studied revealed that this sequence of elementary reaction steps is invariant, although the rates of CO desorption and subsequent physical sputtering were greatest for the heaviest (Ar+) ions. The ability of IBID to produce pure Pt films was confirmed by AES and XPS analysis of thin film deposits created by Ar+/Pt(CO)2Cl2, demonstrating the ability of data acquired from fundamental UHV surface science studies to provide insights that can be used to better understand the interactions between ions and precursors during IBID from inorganic precursors.more » « less
-
Abstract Milling two equivalents of K[1,3‐(SiMe3)2C3H3] (=K[A′]) with MgX2(X=Cl, Br) produces the allyl complex [K2MgA′4] (1). Crystals grown from toluene are of the solvated species [((η6‐tol)K)2MgA′4] ([1⋅2(tol)]), a trimetallic monomer with both bridging and terminal (η1) allyl ligands. When recrystallized from hexanes, the unsolvated1forms a 2D coordination polymer, in which the Mg is surrounded by three allyl ligands. The C−C bond lengths differ by only 0.028 Å, indicating virtually complete electron delocalization. This is an unprecedented coordination mode for an allyl ligand bound to Mg. DFT calculations indicate that in isolation, an η3‐allyl configuration on Mg is energetically preferred over the η1‐ (σ‐bonded) arrangement, but the Mg must be in a low coordination environment for it to be experimentally realized. Methyl methacrylate is effectively polymerized by1, with activities that are comparable to K[A′] and greater than the homometallic magnesium complex [{MgA′2}2].more » « less
-
In this study, we present experimental and theoretical results on dissociative electron attachment and dissociative ionisation for the potential FEBID precursor cis -Pt(CO) 2 Cl 2 . UHV surface studies have shown that high purity platinum deposits can be obtained from cis -Pt(CO) 2 Cl 2 . The efficiency and energetics of ligand removal through these processes are discussed and experimental appearance energies are compared to calculated thermochemical thresholds. The present results demonstrate the potential effectiveness of electron-induced reactions in the deposition of this FEBID precursor, and these are discussed in conjunction with surface science studies on this precursor and the design of new FEBID precursors.more » « less
-
Abstract The synthesis and characterization of the15N‐labeled analogue of the mitochondrial calcium uptake inhibitor [Cl(NH3)4Ru(μ‐N)Ru(NH3)4Cl]3+(Ru265) bearing [15N]NH3ligands is reported. Using [1H,15N] HSQC NMR spectroscopy, the rate constants for the axial chlorido ligand aquation of [15N]Ru265 in pH 7.4 buffer at 25 °C were found to bek1=(3.43±0.03)×10−4 s−1andk2=(4.03±0.09)×10−3 s−1. The reactivity of [15N]Ru265 towards biologically relevant small molecules was also assessed via this method, revealing that this complex can form coordination bonds to anionic oxygen and sulfur donors. Time‐based studies on these ligand‐binding reactions reveal this process to be slow relative to the time required for the complex to inhibit mitochondrial calcium uptake, suggesting that hydrogen‐bonding interactions, rather than the formation of coordination bonds, may play a more significant role in mediating the inhibitory properties of this complex.more » « less
