Synthesis of Semiconducting Thin Films with Nanometer-Scale Periodicity by Solution-Phase Coassembly of Zintl Clusters with Surfactants

摘要

The cooperative self-assembly of inorganic precursors with organic surfactants or polymeric structure-directing agents has led to the synthesis of many oxide-based, nanostructured composite materials that show periodicity. Oxide powders, monoliths, and thin films with a diverse range of compositions (TiO2, ZrO2, Nb2O5, SnO2, MnxOy, Al2O3, and others) have been prepared following the work on surfactant-templated silicas (MCM-41-type materials).[1]-[17] Although the powdered forms of these materials have many proposed uses, including catalysis and size-selective separation, the thin-film forms have significantly expanded their potential.[18]-[23] The thin-film morphology has several applications for which bulk materials are not useful, including low-k dielectric coatings, optical waveguides, and membranes.[24]-[27]