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Gensch M, Schwartzkopf M, Brett CJ, Schaper SJ, Li N, Chen W, Liang S, Drewes J, Polonskyi O, Strunskus T, Faupel F, Müller-Buschbaum P, Roth SV. Correlating Optical Reflectance with the Topology of Aluminum Nanocluster Layers Growing on Partially Conjugated Diblock Copolymer Templates. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces 2021; 13:56663-56673. [PMID: 34788001 PMCID: PMC8640968 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.1c18324] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2021] [Accepted: 11/03/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Large-scale fabrication of metal cluster layers for usage in sensor applications and photovoltaics is a huge challenge. Physical vapor deposition offers large-scale fabrication of metal cluster layers on templates and polymer surfaces. In the case of aluminum (Al), only little is known about the formation and interaction of Al clusters during sputter deposition. Complex polymer surface morphologies can tailor the deposited Al cluster layer. Here, a poly(methyl methacrylate)-block-poly(3-hexylthiophen-2,5-diyl) (PMMA-b-P3HT) diblock copolymer template is used to investigate the nanostructure formation of Al cluster layers on the different polymer domains and to compare it with the respective homopolymers PMMA and P3HT. The optical properties relevant for sensor applications are monitored with ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) measurements during the sputter deposition. The formation of Al clusters is followed in situ with grazing-incidence small-angle X-ray scattering (GISAXS), and the chemical interaction is revealed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Furthermore, atomic force microscopy (AFM) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) yield topographical information about selective wetting of Al on the P3HT domains and embedding in the PMMA domains in the early stages, followed by four distinct growth stages describing the Al nanostructure formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marc Gensch
- Deutsches
Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestr. 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
- Lehrstuhl
für Funktionelle Materialien, Physik-Department, Technische Universität München, James-Franck-Str. 1, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | | | - Calvin J. Brett
- Deutsches
Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestr. 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
- Department
of Engineering Mechanics, KTH Royal Institute
of Technology, Teknikringen
8, SE-100 44 Stockholm, Sweden
- Wallenberg
Wood Science Center, KTH Royal Institute
of Technology, Teknikringen
56-58, SE-100 44 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Simon J. Schaper
- Lehrstuhl
für Funktionelle Materialien, Physik-Department, Technische Universität München, James-Franck-Str. 1, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - Nian Li
- Lehrstuhl
für Funktionelle Materialien, Physik-Department, Technische Universität München, James-Franck-Str. 1, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - Wei Chen
- Lehrstuhl
für Funktionelle Materialien, Physik-Department, Technische Universität München, James-Franck-Str. 1, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - Suzhe Liang
- Lehrstuhl
für Funktionelle Materialien, Physik-Department, Technische Universität München, James-Franck-Str. 1, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - Jonas Drewes
- Lehrstuhl
für Materialverbunde, Institut für Materialwissenschaft, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Kaiserstr.2, D-24143 Kiel, Germany
| | - Oleksandr Polonskyi
- Gordon
Lab, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106-5080, United States
| | - Thomas Strunskus
- Lehrstuhl
für Materialverbunde, Institut für Materialwissenschaft, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Kaiserstr.2, D-24143 Kiel, Germany
| | - Franz Faupel
- Lehrstuhl
für Materialverbunde, Institut für Materialwissenschaft, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Kaiserstr.2, D-24143 Kiel, Germany
| | - Peter Müller-Buschbaum
- Lehrstuhl
für Funktionelle Materialien, Physik-Department, Technische Universität München, James-Franck-Str. 1, D-85748 Garching, Germany
- Heinz-Maier-Leibniz
Zentrum (MLZ), Technische Universität
München, Lichtenbergstraße 1, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - Stephan V. Roth
- Deutsches
Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestr. 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
- Department
of Fiber and Polymer Technology, KTH Royal
Institute of Technology, Teknikringen 56-58, SE-100 44 Stockholm, Sweden
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Schaper SJ, Löhrer FC, Xia S, Geiger C, Schwartzkopf M, Pandit P, Rubeck J, Fricke B, Frenzke S, Hinz AM, Carstens N, Polonskyi O, Strunskus T, Faupel F, Roth SV, Müller-Buschbaum P. Revealing the growth of copper on polystyrene- block-poly(ethylene oxide) diblock copolymer thin films with in situ GISAXS. Nanoscale 2021; 13:10555-10565. [PMID: 34100512 DOI: 10.1039/d1nr01480c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Copper (Cu) as an excellent electrical conductor and the amphiphilic diblock copolymer polystyrene-block-poly(ethylene oxide) (PS-b-PEO) as a polymer electrolyte and ionic conductor can be combined with an active material in composite electrodes for polymer lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). As interfaces are a key issue in LIBs, sputter deposition of Cu contacts on PS-b-PEO thin films with high PEO fraction is investigated with in situ grazing-incidence small-angle X-ray scattering (GISAXS) to follow the formation of the Cu layer in real-time. We observe a hierarchical morphology of Cu clusters building larger Cu agglomerates. Two characteristic distances corresponding to the PS-b-PEO microphase separation and the Cu clusters are determined. A selective agglomeration of Cu clusters on the PS domains explains the origin of the persisting hierarchical morphology of the Cu layer even after a complete surface coverage is reached. The spheroidal shape of the Cu clusters growing within the first few nanometers of sputter deposition causes a highly porous Cu-polymer interface. Four growth stages are distinguished corresponding to different kinetics of the cluster growth of Cu on PS-b-PEO thin films: (I) nucleation, (II) diffusion-driven growth, (III) adsorption-driven growth, and (IV) grain growth of Cu clusters. Percolation is reached at an effective Cu layer thickness of 5.75 nm.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon J Schaper
- Lehrstuhl für Funktionelle Materialien, Physik-Department, Technische Universität München, James-Franck-Str. 1, 85748 Garching, Germany.
| | - Franziska C Löhrer
- Lehrstuhl für Funktionelle Materialien, Physik-Department, Technische Universität München, James-Franck-Str. 1, 85748 Garching, Germany.
| | - Senlin Xia
- Lehrstuhl für Funktionelle Materialien, Physik-Department, Technische Universität München, James-Franck-Str. 1, 85748 Garching, Germany.
| | - Christina Geiger
- Lehrstuhl für Funktionelle Materialien, Physik-Department, Technische Universität München, James-Franck-Str. 1, 85748 Garching, Germany.
| | - Matthias Schwartzkopf
- Photon Science, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), Notkestr. 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Pallavi Pandit
- Photon Science, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), Notkestr. 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Jan Rubeck
- Photon Science, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), Notkestr. 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Björn Fricke
- Photon Science, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), Notkestr. 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Susann Frenzke
- Photon Science, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), Notkestr. 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Alexander M Hinz
- Lehrstuhl für Materialverbunde, Institut für Materialwissenschaft, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Kaiserstr. 2, 24143 Kiel, Germany
| | - Niko Carstens
- Lehrstuhl für Materialverbunde, Institut für Materialwissenschaft, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Kaiserstr. 2, 24143 Kiel, Germany
| | - Oleksandr Polonskyi
- Lehrstuhl für Materialverbunde, Institut für Materialwissenschaft, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Kaiserstr. 2, 24143 Kiel, Germany
| | - Thomas Strunskus
- Lehrstuhl für Materialverbunde, Institut für Materialwissenschaft, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Kaiserstr. 2, 24143 Kiel, Germany
| | - Franz Faupel
- Lehrstuhl für Materialverbunde, Institut für Materialwissenschaft, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Kaiserstr. 2, 24143 Kiel, Germany
| | - Stephan V Roth
- Photon Science, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), Notkestr. 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany and KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Department of Fibre and Polymer Technology, Teknikringen 56-58, SE-100 44 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Peter Müller-Buschbaum
- Lehrstuhl für Funktionelle Materialien, Physik-Department, Technische Universität München, James-Franck-Str. 1, 85748 Garching, Germany. and Heinz Maier-Leibniz Zentrum (MLZ), Technische Universität München, Lichtenbergstr. 1, 85748 Garching, Germany
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Katzenmeier L, Carstensen L, Schaper SJ, Müller-Buschbaum P, Bandarenka AS. Characterization and Quantification of Depletion and Accumulation Layers in Solid-State Li + -Conducting Electrolytes Using In Situ Spectroscopic Ellipsometry. Adv Mater 2021; 33:e2100585. [PMID: 33955614 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202100585] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2021] [Revised: 03/08/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The future of mobility depends on the development of next-generation battery technologies, such as all-solid-state batteries. As the ionic conductivity of solid Li+ -conductors can, in some cases, approach that of liquid electrolytes, a significant remaining barrier faced by solid-state electrolytes (SSEs) is the interface formed at the anode and cathode materials, with chemical instability and physical resistances arising. The physical properties of space charge layers (SCLs), a widely discussed phenomenon in SSEs, are still unclear. In this work, spectroscopic ellipsometry is used to characterize the accumulation and depletion layers. An optical model is developed to quantify their thicknesses and corresponding concentration changes. It is shown that the Li+ -depleted layer (≈190 nm at 1 V) is thinner than the accumulation layer (≈320 nm at 1 V) in a glassy lithium-ion-conducting glass ceramic electrolyte (a trademark of Ohara Corporation). The in situ approach combining electrochemistry and optics resolves the ambiguities around SCL formation. It opens up a wide field of optical measurements on SSEs, allowing various experimental studies in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leon Katzenmeier
- Physics of Energy Conversion and Storage Department of Physics, Technische Universität München, James-Franck-Str. 1, Garching, 85748, Germany
- Bayerisches Zentrum für Angewandte Energieforschung, Magdalene-Schoch-Str. 3, Würzburg, 97074, Germany
| | - Leif Carstensen
- Physics of Energy Conversion and Storage Department of Physics, Technische Universität München, James-Franck-Str. 1, Garching, 85748, Germany
| | - Simon J Schaper
- Lehrstuhl für Funktionelle Materielien Physik-Department, Technische Universität München, James-Franck-Str. 1, Garching, 85748, Germany
| | - Peter Müller-Buschbaum
- Lehrstuhl für Funktionelle Materielien Physik-Department, Technische Universität München, James-Franck-Str. 1, Garching, 85748, Germany
- Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Zentrum (MLZ), Technische Universität München, Lichtenbergstr. 1, Garching, 85748, Germany
| | - Aliaksandr S Bandarenka
- Physics of Energy Conversion and Storage Department of Physics, Technische Universität München, James-Franck-Str. 1, Garching, 85748, Germany
- e-conversion Excellence Cluster, Lichtenbergstr. 4, Garching, 85748, Germany
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4
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Liang S, Chen W, Yin S, Schaper SJ, Guo R, Drewes J, Carstens N, Strunskus T, Gensch M, Schwartzkopf M, Faupel F, Roth SV, Cheng YJ, Müller-Buschbaum P. Tailoring the Optical Properties of Sputter-Deposited Gold Nanostructures on Nanostructured Titanium Dioxide Templates Based on In Situ Grazing-Incidence Small-Angle X-ray Scattering Determined Growth Laws. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces 2021; 13:14728-14740. [PMID: 33734685 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.1c00972] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Gold/titanium dioxide (Au/TiO2) nanohybrid materials have been widely applied in various fields because of their outstanding optical and photocatalytic performance. By state-of-the-art polymer templating, it is possible to make uniform nanostructured TiO2 layers with potentially large-scale processing methods. We use customized polymer templating to achieve TiO2 nanostructures with different morphologies. Au/TiO2 hybrid thin films are fabricated by sputter deposition. An in-depth understanding of the Au morphology on the TiO2 templates is achieved with in situ grazing-incidence small-angle X-ray scattering (GISAXS) during the sputter deposition. The resulting Au nanostructure is largely influenced by the TiO2 template morphology. Based on the detailed understanding of the Au growth process, characteristic distances can be selected to achieve tailored Au nanostructures at different Au loadings. For selected sputter-deposited Au/TiO2 hybrid thin films, the optical response with a tailored localized surface plasmon resonance is demonstrated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suzhe Liang
- Lehrstuhl für Funktionelle Materialien, Physik-Department, Technische Universität München, James-Franck-Str. 1, 85748 Garching, Germany
| | - Wei Chen
- Lehrstuhl für Funktionelle Materialien, Physik-Department, Technische Universität München, James-Franck-Str. 1, 85748 Garching, Germany
| | - Shanshan Yin
- Lehrstuhl für Funktionelle Materialien, Physik-Department, Technische Universität München, James-Franck-Str. 1, 85748 Garching, Germany
| | - Simon J Schaper
- Lehrstuhl für Funktionelle Materialien, Physik-Department, Technische Universität München, James-Franck-Str. 1, 85748 Garching, Germany
| | - Renjun Guo
- Lehrstuhl für Funktionelle Materialien, Physik-Department, Technische Universität München, James-Franck-Str. 1, 85748 Garching, Germany
| | - Jonas Drewes
- Lehrstuhl für Materialverbunde, Institut für Materialwissenschaft, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Kaiserstr. 2, 24143 Kiel, Germany
| | - Niko Carstens
- Lehrstuhl für Materialverbunde, Institut für Materialwissenschaft, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Kaiserstr. 2, 24143 Kiel, Germany
| | - Thomas Strunskus
- Lehrstuhl für Materialverbunde, Institut für Materialwissenschaft, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Kaiserstr. 2, 24143 Kiel, Germany
| | - Marc Gensch
- Lehrstuhl für Funktionelle Materialien, Physik-Department, Technische Universität München, James-Franck-Str. 1, 85748 Garching, Germany
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), Notkestr. 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | | | - Franz Faupel
- Lehrstuhl für Materialverbunde, Institut für Materialwissenschaft, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Kaiserstr. 2, 24143 Kiel, Germany
| | - Stephan V Roth
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), Notkestr. 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
- Department of Fibre and Polymer Technology, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Teknikringen 56-58, SE-100 44 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Ya-Jun Cheng
- Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology & Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1219 Zhongguan West Road, Zhenhai District, Ningbo, Zhejiang Province 315201, P. R. China
- Department of Materials, University of Oxford, Parks Road, OX1 3PH Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Peter Müller-Buschbaum
- Lehrstuhl für Funktionelle Materialien, Physik-Department, Technische Universität München, James-Franck-Str. 1, 85748 Garching, Germany
- Heinz Maier-Leibniz Zentrum (MLZ), Technische Universität München, Lichtenbergstraße 1, 85748 Garching, Germany
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5
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Schwartzkopf M, Wöhnert SJ, Waclawek V, Carstens N, Rothkirch A, Rubeck J, Gensch M, Drewes J, Polonskyi O, Strunskus T, Hinz AM, Schaper SJ, Körstgens V, Müller-Buschbaum P, Faupel F, Roth SV. Real-time insight into nanostructure evolution during the rapid formation of ultra-thin gold layers on polymers. Nanoscale Horiz 2021; 6:132-138. [PMID: 33290482 DOI: 10.1039/d0nh00538j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
Ultra-thin metal layers on polymer thin films attract tremendous research interest for advanced flexible optoelectronic applications, including organic photovoltaics, light emitting diodes and sensors. To realize the large-scale production of such metal-polymer hybrid materials, high rate sputter deposition is of particular interest. Here, we witness the birth of a metal-polymer hybrid material by quantifying in situ with unprecedented time-resolution of 0.5 ms the temporal evolution of interfacial morphology during the rapid formation of ultra-thin gold layers on thin polystyrene films. We monitor average non-equilibrium cluster geometries, transient interface morphologies and the effective near-surface gold diffusion. At 1 s sputter deposition, the polymer matrix has already been enriched with 1% gold and an intermixing layer has formed with a depth of over 3.5 nm. Furthermore, we experimentally observe unexpected changes in aspect ratios of ultra-small gold clusters growing in the vicinity of polymer chains. For the first time, this approach enables four-dimensional insights at atomic scales during the gold growth under non-equilibrium conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthias Schwartzkopf
- Photon Science, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), Notkestr. 85, D-22607 Hamburg, Germany.
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6
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Bäumler M, Schwaminger SP, von der Haar-Leistl D, Schaper SJ, Müller-Buschbaum P, Wagner FE, Berensmeier S. Characterization of an active ingredient made of nanoscale iron(oxyhydr)oxide for the treatment of hyperphosphatemia. RSC Adv 2021; 11:17669-17682. [PMID: 35480163 PMCID: PMC9033185 DOI: 10.1039/d1ra00050k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2021] [Accepted: 05/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Kidney disease is one of the main non-communicable diseases. Every year millions of people worldwide die from kidney dysfunction. One cause is disturbances in the mineral metabolism, such as abnormally high phosphate concentrations in the blood, medically referred to as hyperphosphatemia. A new active ingredient based on nanoscale iron(oxyhydr)oxide with particle sizes below 3 nm surrounded by an organic coating has been developed for a more effective treatment. The examination of the structural properties of these particles within this study promises to gain further insights into this improved effectiveness. More than half of the active ingredient consists of organic substances, the rest is mostly iron(oxyhydr)oxide. Analyzes by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), and dynamic light scattering (DLS) show that the organic molecules act as stabilizers and lead to ultrasmall iron(oxyhydr)oxide cores with a size of 1.0–2.8 nm. The nanoparticles coated with the organic molecules have an average size of 11.7 nm. At 4.2 K, the nanoparticles display a magnetic hyperfine field of 45.5 T in the Mössbauer spectrum, which is unusually low for iron(oxyhydr)oxide. The material is also not ferrimagnetic. Combining these results and taking into account the composition of the nanoparticles, we identify low crystalline ferrihydrite as the most likely phase in the iron(oxyhydr)oxide nuclei. At the same time, we want to emphasize that a final identification of the crystal structure in iron(oxyhydr)oxides can be impeded by ultrasmall particle sizes. In summary, by a combinatorial characterization, we are able to observe extraordinary properties of the ultrasmall nanomaterial, which is the basis for the investigation of the high phosphate-binding efficacy of this active ingredient. The combination of different analytical methods, supported by TEM, DLS, SAXS, Mössbauer spectroscopy, and SQUID, allows more accurate characterization of a new nanoscale active ingredient based on iron(oxyhydr)oxide against hyperphosphatemia.![]()
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Affiliation(s)
- Magdalena Bäumler
- Bioseparation Engineering Group
- Department of Mechanical Engineering
- Technical University of Munich
- Garching
- Germany
| | - Sebastian P. Schwaminger
- Bioseparation Engineering Group
- Department of Mechanical Engineering
- Technical University of Munich
- Garching
- Germany
| | - Daniela von der Haar-Leistl
- Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging (IVV)
- Department of Process Development for Plant Raw Materials
- 85354 Freising
- Germany
| | - Simon J. Schaper
- Functional Materials Group
- Departement of Physics
- Technical University of Munich
- 85748 Garching
- Germany
| | - Peter Müller-Buschbaum
- Functional Materials Group
- Departement of Physics
- Technical University of Munich
- 85748 Garching
- Germany
| | - Friedrich E. Wagner
- Experimental Astro-Particle Physics Group
- Departement of Physics
- Technical University of Munich
- 85748 Garching
- Germany
| | - Sonja Berensmeier
- Bioseparation Engineering Group
- Department of Mechanical Engineering
- Technical University of Munich
- Garching
- Germany
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7
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Chen W, Liang S, Löhrer FC, Schaper SJ, Li N, Cao W, Kreuzer LP, Liu H, Tang H, Körstgens V, Schwartzkopf M, Wang K, Sun XW, Roth SV, Müller-Buschbaum P. In situ Grazing-Incidence Small-Angle X-ray Scattering Observation of Gold Sputter Deposition on a PbS Quantum Dot Solid. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces 2020; 12:46942-46952. [PMID: 32941012 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.0c12732] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
For PbS quantum dot (QD)-based optoelectronic devices, gold is the most frequently used electrode material. In most device architectures, gold is in direct contact with the QD solid. To better understand the formation of the interface between gold and a close-packed QD layer at an early stage, in situ grazing-incidence small-angle X-ray scattering is used to observe the gold sputter deposition on a 1,2-ethanedithiol (EDT)-treated PbS QD solid. In the kinetics of gold layer growth, the forming and merging of small gold clusters (radius less than 1.6 nm) are observed at the early stages. The thereby formed medium gold clusters (radius between 1.9-2.4 nm) are influenced by the QDs' templating effect. Furthermore, simulations suggest that the medium gold clusters grow preferably along the QDs' boundaries rather than as a top coating of the QDs. When the thickness of the sputtered gold layer reaches 6.25 nm, larger gold clusters with a radius of 5.3 nm form. Simultaneously, a percolation layer with a thickness of 2.5 nm is established underneath the gold clusters. This fundamental understanding of the QD-gold interface formation will help to control the implementation of sputtered gold electrodes on close-packed QD solids in device manufacturing processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Chen
- Physik Department, Lehrstuhl für Funktionelle Materialien, Technische Universität München, James-Franck-Straße 1, 85748 Garching, Germany
| | - Suzhe Liang
- Physik Department, Lehrstuhl für Funktionelle Materialien, Technische Universität München, James-Franck-Straße 1, 85748 Garching, Germany
| | - Franziska C Löhrer
- Physik Department, Lehrstuhl für Funktionelle Materialien, Technische Universität München, James-Franck-Straße 1, 85748 Garching, Germany
| | - Simon J Schaper
- Physik Department, Lehrstuhl für Funktionelle Materialien, Technische Universität München, James-Franck-Straße 1, 85748 Garching, Germany
| | - Nian Li
- Physik Department, Lehrstuhl für Funktionelle Materialien, Technische Universität München, James-Franck-Straße 1, 85748 Garching, Germany
| | - Wei Cao
- Physik Department, Lehrstuhl für Funktionelle Materialien, Technische Universität München, James-Franck-Straße 1, 85748 Garching, Germany
| | - Lucas P Kreuzer
- Physik Department, Lehrstuhl für Funktionelle Materialien, Technische Universität München, James-Franck-Straße 1, 85748 Garching, Germany
| | - Haochen Liu
- Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Xueyuan Blvd. 1088, 518055 Shenzhen, China
| | - Haodong Tang
- Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Xueyuan Blvd. 1088, 518055 Shenzhen, China
| | - Volker Körstgens
- Physik Department, Lehrstuhl für Funktionelle Materialien, Technische Universität München, James-Franck-Straße 1, 85748 Garching, Germany
| | | | - Kai Wang
- Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Xueyuan Blvd. 1088, 518055 Shenzhen, China
| | - Xiao Wei Sun
- Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Xueyuan Blvd. 1088, 518055 Shenzhen, China
| | - Stephan V Roth
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, Notkestraße 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
- Department of Fibre and Polymer Technology, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Teknikringen 56-58, SE-100 44 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Peter Müller-Buschbaum
- Physik Department, Lehrstuhl für Funktionelle Materialien, Technische Universität München, James-Franck-Straße 1, 85748 Garching, Germany
- Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Zentrum (MLZ), Technische Universität München, Lichtenbergstraße 1, 85748 Garching, Germany
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