Vapour phase deposition of phosphonate-containing alumina thin films using dimethyl vinylphosphonate as precursor

Phosphorous-containing materials are used in a wide array of fields, from energy conversion and storage to heterogeneous catalysis and biomaterials. Among these materials, organic-inorganic metal phosphonate solids and thin films present an interesting option, due to their remarkable thermal and chemical stability. Yet, the synthesis of phosphonate hybrids by vapour phase thin film deposition techniques remains largely unexplored. In this work, we present successful deposition of phosphonate-containing films using dimethyl vinylphosphonate (DMVP) as a phosphonate precursor. Two processes have been studied, being a three-step process comprising alternating exposure to trimethylaluminum (TMA), water (H₂O) and DMVP (ABC process), and a four-step process with an extra O₃ step following the DMVP pulse (ABCD process). The O₃ treatment is employed for in situ functionalisation of the adsorbed phosphonate precursor, transforming the vinyl group into a carboxylic acid end group. For both processes, good precursor saturation was found, with the ABCD process exhibiting a more stable growth per cycle (0.54-0.38 Å per cycle) in the investigated temperature range (100-250 °C). Phosphonate features were visible in FTIR spectra for both films, with the ABCD films also exhibiting a carboxylate signal. XPS showed a higher P incorporation in the ABCD films deposited at 250 °C, although still moderate (P/Al = 0.27), consistent with an alumina structure with phosphonate inclusions. The film stability upon immersion in water was tested, showing a slow oxidation over the course of a week. Finally, annealing experiments in air demonstrated stable films up to 400 °C.