title: Fabrication of Thin Films of α-Fe2O3 via Atomic Layer Deposition Using Iron Bisamidinate and Water under Mild Growth Conditions.
abstract: Atomic layer deposition (ALD) has been shown to be an excellent method for depositing thin films of iron oxide. With limited iron precursors available, the methods widely used require harsh conditions such as high temperatures and/or the use of oxidants such as ozone or peroxide. This letter aims to show that bis(N,N'-di-t-butylacetamidinato) iron(II) (iron bisamidinate or FeAMD) is an ideal ALD precursor because of its reactivity with water and relative volatility. Using in situ QCM analysis, we show outstanding conformal self-limiting growth of FeOx using FeAMD and water at temperatures lower than 200 °C. By annealing thin films of FeOx at 500 °C, we observe the formation of α-Fe2O3, confirming that we can use FeAMD to fabricate thin films of catalytically promising iron oxide materials using moderate growth conditions.
authors.affiliation: †Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States.|§Argonne-Northwestern Solar Energy Research (ANSER) Center, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States.
authors.forename: Jason R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Avila
authors.affiliation: †Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States.|§Argonne-Northwestern Solar Energy Research (ANSER) Center, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States.
authors.forename: Dong Wook
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: †Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States.
authors.forename: Martino
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rimoldi
authors.affiliation: †Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States.|‡Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.|§Argonne-Northwestern Solar Energy Research (ANSER) Center, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States.
authors.forename: Omar K
authors.initials: OK
authors.lastname: Farha
authors.affiliation: †Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States.|§Argonne-Northwestern Solar Energy Research (ANSER) Center, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States.|⊥Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 South Cass Avenue, Argonne, Illinois 60439, United States.
authors.forename: Joseph T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Hupp
keywords: atomic layer deposition; hematite; in situ; iron bisamidinate; iron oxide; quartz crystal microbalance