Chromium containing zinc oxide materials from organobimetallic precursors

Zinc oxide has become one of the most important semiconductor materials and it possesses a multitude of properties and applications. An even wider spectrum of properties can be envisioned if an additional element is introduced. On the cation side there is large interest in the combination of ZnO with paramagnetic metal centres like Cr(III). Two new single source precursors containing "ZnO" and chromium in the ratios 1 : 1 and 1 : 2 are presented. Advantages and disadvantages of using these precursors are reported. One of the advantages is that the geometric organization of the magnetic centres in the ZnO matrix can be preorganized on the molecular scale.