Europium sulfide (EuS) thin films are appealing as ferromagnetic semiconductors and luminescent and optomagnetic materials owing to their unique functional properties. With the emerging field of spintronics and magneto-optical devices, chemical vapor deposition (CVD) offers a versatile platform to tune the material properties and the method to fabricate device structures needed for such applications. Herein, we report the growth of high-quality cubic EuS via a versatile CVD process where the new Eu(III) precursors employed facilitate the formation of the target EuS layers under moderated process conditions. Based on the prior evaluation of the physicochemical properties of these precursors using thermal analysis and density functional theory studies, adequate volatility, thermal stability, and sufficient reactivity toward potential co-reactants, namely, elemental sulfur, could be inferred. Thus, the use of toxic hydrogen sulfide generally needed for sulfide film depositions could be avoided, which is a significant advantage in terms of simplifying the deposition process. The as-deposited thin films were analyzed in terms of the structure, composition, and morphology, revealing highly oriented polycrystalline and stoichiometric EuS films. UV/vis measurements yielded a band gap of around 1.6 eV, and Raman spectroscopy exhibited a coupling between the phonons and electron spin systems of EuS. These findings, together with the soft ferromagnetic character of the films derived from semiconducting quantum interference device measurements, signify the potential of CVD-grown EuS for future technological applications.

Owing to the limited availability of suitable precursors for vapor phase deposition of rare-earth containing thin-film materials, new or improved precursors are sought after. In this study, we explored new precursors for atomic layer deposition (ALD) of cerium (Ce) and ytterbium (Yb) containing thin films. A series of homoleptic tris-guanidinate and tris-amidinate complexes of cerium (Ce) and ytterbium (Yb) were synthesized and thoroughly characterized. The C-substituents on the N-C-N backbone (Me, NMe2, NEt2, where Me=methyl, Et=ethyl) and the N-substituents from symmetrical iso-propyl (iPr) to asymmetrical tertiary-butyl (tBu) and Et were systematically varied to study the influence of the substituents on the physicochemical properties of the resulting compounds. Single crystal structures of [Ce(dpdmg)(3)] 1 and [Yb(dpdmg)(3)] 6 (dpdmg=N,N'-diisopropyl-2-dimethylamido-guanidinate) highlight a monomeric nature in the solid-state with a distorted trigonal prismatic geometry. The thermogravimetric analysis shows that the complexes are volatile and emphasize that increasing asymmetry in the complexes lowers their melting points while reducing their thermal stability. Density functional theory (DFT) was used to study the reactivity of amidinates and guanidinates of Ce and Yb complexes towards oxygen (O-2) and water (H2O). Signified by the DFT calculations, the guanidinates show an increased reactivity toward water compared to the amidinate complexes. Furthermore, the Ce complexes are more reactive compared to the Yb complexes, indicating even a reactivity towards oxygen potentially exploitable for ALD purposes. As a representative precursor, the highly reactive [Ce(dpdmg)(3)] 1 was used for proof-of-principle ALD depositions of CeO2 thin films using water as co-reactant. The self-limited ALD growth process could be confirmed at 160 degrees C with polycrystalline cubic CeO2 films formed on Si(100) substrates. This study confirms that moving towards nitrogen-coordinated rare-earth complexes bearing the guanidinate and amidinate ligands can indeed be very appealing in terms of new precursors for ALD of rare earth based materials.

Nickel-based nanostructured materials have gained widespread attention, particularly for energy-related applications. Employing chemical vapor deposition (CVD) for NiO necessitates suitable nickel precursors that are volatile and stable. Herein, we report the synthesis and characterization of a series of new nickel β-ketoiminato complexes with different aliphatic and etheric side chain substitutions, namely, bis(4-(isopropylamino)-pent-3-en-2-onato)nickel(II) ([Ni(ipki)2], 1), bis(4-(2-methoxyethylamino)pent-3-en-2-onato)nickel(II) ([Ni(meki)2], 2), bis(4-(2-ethoxyethylamino)pent-3-en-2-onato)nickel(II) ([Ni(eeki)2], 3), bis(4-(3-methoxy-propylamino)-pent-3-en-2-onato)nickel(II) ([Ni(mpki)2], 4), and bis(4-(3-ethoxypropylamino)pent-3-en-2-onato)nickel(II) ([Ni(epki)2], 5). These compounds have been thoroughly characterized with regard to their purity and identity by means of nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) and electron impact mass spectrometry (EI-MS). Contrary to other transition metal β-ketoiminates, the imino side chain strongly influences the structural geometry of the complexes, which was ascertained via single-crystal X-ray diffraction (XRD). As a result, the magnetic momenta of the molecules also differ significantly as evidenced by the magnetic susceptibility measurements employing Evan's NMR method in solution. Thermal analysis revealed the suitability of these compounds as new class of precursors for CVD of Ni containing materials. As a representative precursor, compound 2 was evaluated for the CVD of NiO thin films on Si(100) and conductive glass substrates. The as-deposited nanostructured layers were stoichiometric and phase pure NiO as confirmed by XRD, Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS), and nuclear reaction analysis (NRA). X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) indicated the formation of slightly oxygen-rich surfaces. The assessment of NiO films in electrocatalysis revealed promising activity for the oxygen evolution reactions (OER). The current densities of 10 mA cm-2 achieved at overpotentials ranging between 0.48 and 0.52 V highlight the suitability of the new Ni complexes in CVD processes for the fabrication of thin film electrocatalysts.

Yttrium oxide (Y2O3) thin films are implemented as a functional component in a broad field of applications such as optics, electronics or thermal barrier coatings. Atomic layer deposition (ALD) is a promising technique to fabricate high-quality thin films with atomic level precision in which the precursor choice plays a crucial role in process development. The limited number of suitable yttrium precursors available for ALD of Y(2)O(3)has triggered increasing research activity seeking new or modified precursors. In this study, heteroleptic compounds of yttrium bearing the cyclopentadienyl (Cp) ligand in combination with the chelating amidinate or guanidinate ligands were targeted as potential precursors for ALD. In this context, a systematic and comparative study of the structure and thermal characteristics of (bis-cyclopentadienyl-(N,N'-diisopropyl-2-methyl-amidinato)yttrium) [YCp2(dpamd)]1and (bis-cyclopentadienyl-(N,N'-diisopropyl-2-dimethylamido-guanidinato)yttrium) [YCp2(dpdmg)]2was performed. Complementary characterization tools such as(1)H-NMR, elemental analysis, electron-impact mass spectrometry (EI-MS) and single-crystal X-ray diffraction (XRD) confirmed the spectroscopic purity and the monomeric nature of the metalorganic compounds. Hirshfeld surface analysis revealed influence of the ligand choice on the intermolecular interactions of the compounds. The important figures of merit for a precursor, namely the thermal properties were investigated via thermogravimetric analysis. Thus, the volatility, transport behavior and thermal stability were examined and compared to their homoleptic counterparts [YCp3], [Y(dpamd)(3)] or [Y(dpdmg)(3)].

A series of six cobalt ketoiminates, of which one was previously reported but not explored as a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) precursor, namely, bis(4-(isopropylamino)pent-3-en-2-onato)cobalt(II) ([Co( ipki)2], 1), bis(4-(2-methoxyethylamino)pent-3-en-2-onato)cobalt(II) ([Co(meki)2], 2), bis(4-(2-ethoxyethylamino)pent-3-en-2-onato)cobalt(II) ([Co(eeki)2], 3), bis(4-(3-methoxy-propylamino)pent-3-en-2-onato)cobalt(II) ([Co(mpki)2], 4), bis(4-(3-ethoxypropylamino)pent-3-en-2-onato)cobalt(II) ([Co(epki)2], 5), and bis(4-(3-isopropoxypropylamino)pent-3-en-2-onato)cobalt(II) ([Co( ippki)2], 6) were synthesized and thoroughly characterized. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies on compounds 1-3 revealed a monomeric structure with distorted tetrahedral coordination geometry. Owing to the promising thermal properties, metalorganic CVD of CoO x was performed using compound 1 as a representative example. The thin films deposited on Si(100) consisted of the spinel-phase Co3O4 evidenced by XRD, Rutherford backscattering spectrometry/nuclear reaction analysis, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Photoelectrochemical water-splitting capabilities of spinel CoO x films grown on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) and TiO2-coated FTO revealed that the films show p-type behavior with conduction band edge being estimated to -0.9 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode. With a thin TiO2 underlayer, the CoO x films exhibit photocurrents related to proton reduction under visible light.

A new N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC)-based silver amide compound, 1,3-di-tert-butyl-imidazolin-2-ylidene silver(I) 1,1,1-trimethyl-N-(trimethylsilyl)silanaminide [(NHC)Ag(hmds)] was synthesized and analyzed by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, 1 H and 13 C NMR spectroscopy, as well as EI mass spectrometry, and subsequently evaluated for its thermal characteristics. This new halogen- and phosphine-free Ag atomic layer deposition (ALD) precursor was tested successfully for silver thin film growth in atmospheric pressure plasma enhanced spatial (APP-ALD). High-purity conductive Ag thin films with a low sheet resistance of 0.9 Ω/sq (resistivity: 10-5  Ωcm) were deposited at 100 °C and characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, optical transmittance, and Rutherford back-scattering techniques. The carbene-based Ag precursor and the new APP-ALD process are significant developments in the field of precursor chemistry as well as metal ALD processing.

The synthesis and characterization of five new and closely related homoleptic iron(II) β‐ketoiminate complexes is reported. Molecular structures of compounds 1, 2, and 5 were determined by single‐crystal XRD, which revealed monomeric four‐ and sixfold coordination, depending on the functionalized side chain. The stepwise elimination of the ligand from the complex observed by thermogravimetric analysis and the stability in solution are encouraging features for solution‐based processing of hematite thin films. As a representative example, compound 1 was successfully employed in a straightforward spin‐coating process. The fabricated iron oxide films were characterized in terms of their structure and phase by XRD and Raman spectroscopy, morphology by SEM, and composition by Rutherford backscattering spectrometry accompanied by nuclear reaction analysis, which revealed the formation of crystalline and stoichiometric α‐Fe2O3 films.

AbstractEin Silberamidkomplex eines N‐heterocyclischen Carbens, (1,3‐Di‐tert‐butyl‐imidazolin‐2‐yliden)silber(I)‐1,1,1‐trimethyl‐N‐(trimethylsilyl)silanamid [(NHC)Ag(hmds)], wurde synthetisiert, mittels Einkristall‐Röntgenstrukturanalyse, 1H‐ und 13C‐NMR‐Spektroskopie und EI‐Massenspektrometrie analysiert, sowie bezüglich seiner thermischen Eigenschaften untersucht. Diese neue halogen‐ und phosphorfreie Vorstufe für die Atomlagenabscheidung (ALD) wurde in einem plasmaunterstützten räumlich getrennten (APP‐)ALD‐Prozess unter Atmosphärendruck für die Abscheidung dünner Silberschichten genutzt. Besonders reine und elektrisch leitende dünne Silberschichten mit einem geringen Flächenwiderstand von 0.9 Ω/sq (10−5 Ωcm) wurden bei 100 °C abgeschieden und mittels Röntgenphotoelektronenspektroskopie, Rasterelektronenmikroskopie, optischer Transmissionsspektroskopie und Rutherford‐Rückstreuspektrometrie untersucht. Die Carben‐basierte ALD‐Vorstufe und der zugehörige APP‐ALD‐Prozess ermöglichen zukünftige Anwendungen solcher Silberschichten.

New gallium ketoiminate precursors with high solubility, favourable hydrolysis and decomposition route enabling additive free processing of Ga2O3 thin films.

An entry from the Cambridge Structural Database, the world’s repository for small molecule crystal structures. The entry contains experimental data from a crystal diffraction study. The deposited dataset for this entry is freely available from the CCDC and typically includes 3D coordinates, cell parameters, space group, experimental conditions and quality measures.

Identification and synthesis of intramolecularly donor-stabilized aluminium(III) complexes, which contain a 3-(dimethylamino)propyl (DMP) ligand, as novel atomic layer deposition (ALD) precursors has enabled the development of new and promising ALD processes for Al2 O3 thin films at low temperatures. Key for this promising outcome is the nature of the ligand combination that leads to heteroleptic Al complexes encompassing optimal volatility, thermal stability and reactivity. The first ever example of the application of this family of Al precursors for ALD is reported here. The process shows typical ALD like growth characteristics yielding homogeneous, smooth and high purity Al2 O3 thin films that are comparable to Al2 O3 layers grown by well-established, but highly pyrophoric, trimethylaluminium (TMA)-based ALD processes. This is a significant development based on the fact that these compounds are non-pyrophoric in nature and therefore should be considered as an alternative to the industrial TMA-based Al2 O3 ALD process used in many technological fields of application.

Data for paper: Beta-Fe2O3 nanomaterials from an iron (II) diketonate – diamino complex: a study from molecular precursor to growth processpublished in:Dalton Trans., 2012,41, 149-155DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/c1dt11342awhich should be cited to refer to this work short explanation at: https://goo.gl/jauqwy

Calix[4]resorcinarene based cavitands build from resorcinol or 2-methylresorcinol were synthesized with a focus on systems having less than four substituents at the upper rim. The structures of the synthesized di-substituted calix[4]resorcinarenes, 2 (5,17-Dibromo-4(24),6(10),12(16),18(22)-tetramethylendioxy-2,8,14,20-tetrapentylresorcin[4]arene) and 4 (5,11-Bis[urotropinyliummethyl]-17,23-dimethyl-4(24),6(10),12(16),18(22)-tetramethylendioxy-2,8,14,20-tetrapentylresorcin[4]arene-dibromide), together with the tetra-substituted calix[4]resorcinarene 1 (5,11,17,23-Tetrabromo-4(24),6(10),12(16),18(22)-tetramethylendioxy-2,8,14,20-tetrapentylresorcin[4]arene) were investigated via 1H, 13C NMR and X-ray single crystal diffraction. The stereochemistry of the anti-dibromo-resorcinarene-cavitand 2 and of the syn-bis(urotropinyliummethyl)-cavitand 4 was anticipated by their NMR-data and is confirmed by X-ray derived structures. Small solvent molecules (n-pentane and chloroform resp.) are included in the resorcinarene cavities of 1, 2 and 4. Compound 4 builds a crystal in which polar layers of the substituents at the upper rim of the cavitand, consisting of the charged urotropinyl units and their bromide counter ions, alternate with lipophilic layers filled with the pentyl chains at the lower rim of the cavitand. So a multiple bilayer structure is formed via head to head and tail to tail arrangements as found in the crystal structures of membrane lipids.

Molecular engineering of seven closely related zinc ketoiminates, namely, [Zn(dapki)2], [Zn(daeki)2], [Zn(epki)2], [Zn(eeki)2], [Zn(mpki)2], [Zn(meki)2], and [Zn(npki)2], leads to the optimisation of precursor thermal properties in terms of volatilisation rate, onset of volatilisation, reactivity and thermal stability. The influence of functional groups at the imine side chain of the ligands on the precursor properties is studied with regard to their viability as precursors for atomic layer deposition (ALD) of ZnO. The synthesis of [Zn(eeki)2], [Zn(epki)2] and [Zn(dapki)2] and the crystal structures of [Zn(mpki)2], [Zn(eeki)2], [Zn(dapki)2] and [Zn(npki)2] are presented. From the investigation of the physico-chemical characteristics, it was inferred that all compounds are monomeric, volatile and exhibit high thermal stability, all of which make them promising ALD precursors. Compound [Zn(eeki)2] is in terms of thermal properties the most promising Zn-ketoiminate. It is reactive towards water, possesses a melting point of 39 °C, is stable up to 24 days at 220 °C and has an extended volatilisation rate compared to the literature known Zn-ketoiminates. It demonstrated self-saturated, water assisted growth of zinc oxide (ZnO) with growth rates in the order of 1.3 Å per cycle. Moreover, it displayed a broad temperature window from TDep = 175-300 °C and is the first report of a stable high temperature (>200 °C) ALD process for ZnO returning highly promising growth rates.

A new titanium precursor, [Ti(OPri)2(deacam)2] (deacam = N,N‐diethylacetoacetamide), was developed by the reaction of the parent Ti alkoxide with the β‐ketoamide. The compound, obtained as a monomeric six‐coordinated complex, was used in metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) of TiO2 both as a single source precursor (SSP) and in the presence of oxygen. The high thermal stability of [Ti(OPri)2(deacam)2] enabled the fabrication of TiO2 films over a wide temperature range, with steady growth rates between 500 and 800 °C. The microstructure of the obtained systems was analyzed by X‐ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectroscopy, whereas atomic force microscopy (AFM) and field emission‐scanning electron microscopy (FE‐SEM) measurements were performed to investigate the surface morphology and nanoorganization. Film composition was investigated by complementary techniques like Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS), nuclear reaction analysis (NRA), X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS). The electrical properties of the layers were investigated by performing capacitance voltage (C–V) and leakage current measurements.

A series of triarylmethyl palladium complexes with ortho coordination sites were synthesized. Thereby, the palladium atom exhibits various inter- and intramolecular binding modes towards the organic ligand. Further, the first crystallographically proven, exclusively sigma-coordinated triarylmethyl palladium complexes, stabilized by ortho-thio-substituents, were discovered. The NMR spectra of the palladium complexes indicate temperature-dependent dynamic behavior.

Treatment of tetrakis(diethylamido)zirconium(IV); [Zr(NEt2)4] with a series of β-ketoimines ({[RHN]C(CH3)=C(H)C(CH3)=O} where R is a functionalized side-chain; 4-(2-methoxyethylamino)pent-3-en-2-one, Hmeap; 4-(3-methoxypropylamino)pent-3-en-2-one, Hmpap; 4-(2-(dimethylamino)ethylamino)pent-3-en-2-one, Hdeap; 4-(3-(dimethylamino)propylamino)pent-3-en-2-one, Hdpap) leads to an amine substitution reaction that yielded novel monomeric heteroleptic mixed amido-ketoiminato complexes of the type bis(4-(2-methoxyethylamino)pent-3-en-2-onato)bis(diethylamido)zirconium(IV) (1), bis(4-(3-methoxypropylamino)pent-3-en-2-onato)bis(diethylamido)zirconium(IV) (2), and bis(4-(3-(dimethylamino)propylamino)pent-3-en-2-onato)bis(diethylamido)zirconium(IV) (3), and eight-coordinated homoleptic complexes tetrakis(4-(2-methoxyethylamino)pent-3-en-2-onato)zirconium(IV) (4) and tetrakis(4-(2-(dimethylamino)ethylamino)pent-3-en-2-onato)zirconium(IV) (5), depending on the ratio of the ligand to zirconium. Adopting a similar strategy with zirconium alkoxide, namely [Zr(O(i)Pr)4·(i)PrOH], with β-ketoimine Hmeap, leads to the formation of a dimer, bis(μ2-isopropoxo)bis(4-(2-methoxyethylamino)pent-3-en-2-onato)tetrakis(isopropoxo)dizirconium(IV) (6). The newly synthesised complexes were characterized by NMR spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, single crystal X-ray diffraction, elemental analysis and thermal analysis. The low decomposition temperature facilitated by the stepwise elimination of the ketominate ligand from the complex and the stability of the complexes obtained in air as well as in solution makes them highly suitable for solution based processing of ZrO2 thin films, which is demonstrated using compound 5 on Si(100) substrates. High quality ZrO2 films were obtained and were investigated for their structure, morphology, composition and optical properties. Low temperature crystallisation of ZrO2 is achieved by a simple chemical deposition process using the new class of Zr precursors and the films exhibit an optical transmittance above 90%.

AbstractHeterometalldotierte Goldcluster sind durch nasschemische Synthese schwer zugänglich, und mit Hauptgruppenmetallen oder frühen Übergangsmetallen dotierte Cluster sind rar. Die Verbindungen [M(AuPMe3)11(AuCl)]3+ (M=Pt, Pd, Ni) (1–3), [Ni(AuPPh3)(8–2n)(AuCl)3(AlCp*)n] (n=1, 2) (4, 5) und [Mo(AuPMe3)8(GaCl2)3(GaCl)]+ (6) wurden selektiv durch Transmetallierung von [M(M′Cp*)n] (M=Mo, E=Ga, n=6; M=Pt, Pd, Ni, M′=Ga, Al; n=4) mit [ClAuPR3] (R=Me, Ph) hergestellt und mit Einkristallröntgenbeugung sowie ESI‐MS charakterisiert. Mithilfe von DFT‐Rechnungen wurden die Bindungsverhältnisse analysiert. Die Transmetallierung ist eine wirkungsvolle Syntheseroute hin zu heterometalldotierten Goldclustern, deren Aufbau der 18‐Valenzelektronenregel für das Zentralmetallatom gehorcht und die mit dem Superatomkonzept auf Grundlage des Jellium‐Modells übereinstimmen.

Two closely related mononuclear homoleptic indium-tris-guanidinate complexes have been synthesized and characterized as precursors for atomic layer deposition (ALD) of In2O3. In a water assisted ALD process, high quality In2O3 thin films have been fabricated for the first time using the new class of precursors as revealed by the promising ALD growth characteristics and film properties.

Heterometal-doped gold clusters are poorly accessible through wet-chemical approaches and main-group-metal- or early-transition-metal-doped gold clusters are rare. Compounds [M(AuPMe3 )11 (AuCl)](3+) (M=Pt, Pd, Ni) (1-3), [Ni(AuPPh3 )(8-2n) (AuCl)3 (AlCp*)n ] (n=1, 2) (4, 5), and [Mo(AuPMe3 )8 (GaCl2 )3 (GaCl)](+) (6) were selectively obtained by the transmetalation of [M(M'Cp*)n ] (M=Mo, E=Ga, n=6; M=Pt, Pd, Ni, M'=Ga, Al, n=4) with [ClAuPR3 ] (R=Me, Ph) and characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction and ESI mass spectrometry. DFT calculations were used to analyze the bonding situation. The transmetalation proved to be a powerful tool for the synthesis of heterometal-doped gold clusters with a design rule based on the 18 valence electron count for the central metal atom M and in agreement with the unified superatom concept based on the jellium model.