The synthesis of novel polynuclear organogold complexes

The synthesis and peirastic characterisation of two new organogold(III) complexes with a high molar ratio of gold content is described. The proposed formulae for the complexes in the present study are [C 2 H 2 Au 4 F 8 (PPh 3 ) 4 ] n and [C 2 H 2 Au 4 F 8 (NCCH 3 ) 4 ] n (Figure 1). These complexes were found to be stable to the atmosphere. The aim of this work was to demonstrate that such materials have a high metal to ligand ratio, suitable for physical vapour deposition process (PVD) and, hence, can be used as precursors for the deposition of pure metallic features. Physical and chemical characterisation methods were employed to obtain information about i) the structures, ii) the thermal and chemical stability, iii) the volatility and iv) the adhesion of these materials to specific substrates. These include n.m.r. ( 1 H, 19 F, 13 C and 31 P) IR spectroscopy, EDX (Energy Dispersive X-ray analysis), DSC ( Differential Scanning Calorimetry), TGA (Thermogravimetric Analysis), Powder X-ray Diffraction and Electron Microscopy (Scanning, Transmission and Atomic Force).