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Coating of nanoporous membranes: atomic layer deposition versus sputtering
K Grigoras1, V M Airaksinen, S Franssila
1Micro and Nanosciences Laboratory, MICRONOVA, Department of Electrical and Communications Engineering, Helsinki University of Technology, P.O. Box 3500, FI-02015 TKK, Finland.
Researchers explored coating nanoporous membranes with zinc oxide and gold. Atomic layer deposition achieved conformal zinc oxide coatings, while sputtering minimized gold penetration into pores for controlled surface functionalization.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
- Surface Engineering
Background:
- Nanoporous materials offer high surface areas for various applications.
- Controlling thin film deposition within nanopores is crucial for functionalization.
- Anodic alumina membranes and silicon nanopores are common nanostructured platforms.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate conformal coating of nanoporous structures with zinc oxide using atomic layer deposition (ALD).
- To study the selective surface deposition of gold on nanoporous membranes using sputtering.
- To analyze the uniformity, thickness, and conformality of deposited layers within nanopores.
Main Methods:
- Coating of nanoporous anodic alumina membranes and silicon samples.
- Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) with extended precursor pulses for zinc oxide.
- Sputtering for gold coating, focusing on surface deposition.
- Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) for morphological analysis.
Main Results:
- Conformal coating of thick (60 microm) anodic alumina membranes with zinc oxide ALD layers was achieved.
- Metal sputtering effectively minimized gold penetration into the pores, enabling surface-limited coating.
- SEM analysis confirmed layer thickness, uniformity, and conformality within the nanopores.
Conclusions:
- ALD is suitable for conformal coating of nanoporous materials with zinc oxide.
- Sputtering offers a method to control surface deposition of metals on nanoporous structures.
- These techniques enable tailored functionalization of nanoporous membranes for advanced applications.
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