Selective coordination with heterogeneous metal atoms for inorganic-organic hybrid layers

The synthesis of organic-inorganic hybrid materials using individual metal-organic molecules as building blocks has been of interest for the last few decades. These hybrid materials are appealing due to the opportunities they provide with respect to a variety of potential applications. Here, we report a novel metal-organic nanostructure made by a hybrid synthetic process that is comprised of thermal evaporation (TE) and atomic layer deposition (ALD) for the metalation of an organic layer. In this work, 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(4-hydroxyphenyl)-21H,23H-porphyrin (p-(H₆)THPP) and tin(ii) bis(trimethylsilyl)amide (Sn(btsa)₂) (or diethylzinc (DEZ)) were utilized as the main organic layer and ALD precursors, respectively. Sn and Zn atoms were coordinated sequentially via surface chemical reactions on specific functional groups of the p-(H₆)THPP layer, which was deposited on a solid substrate. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and UV-vis absorption spectroscopy were used to characterize and confirm the growth mechanism and optical properties of the synthesized hybrid films. This method should serve as a major breakthrough for building advanced organic-inorganic materials-based devices.