New technology will allow important metals to be made more efficiently
Patented technology will improve production of many electronic and
computer components

Date:
August 6, 2021
Source:
University of Minnesota
Summary:
Researchers have invented a cheaper, safer, and simpler technology
that will allow a 'stubborn' group of metals, such as the Pt-group
elements, to be transformed into thin films for various practical
applications.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== University of Minnesota Twin Cities College of Science and Engineering researchers have invented a cheaper, safer, and simpler technology
that will allow a "stubborn" group of metals and metal oxides to be
made into thin films used in many electronics, computer components,
and other applications.


==========================================================================
The research is published in theProceedings of the National Academy of
Sciences (PNAS.

The researchers worked with the University of Minnesota's Technology Commercialization Office to patent the technology and have already
garnered interest from industry.

Many metals and their compounds must be made into thin films before
they can be used in technological products like electronics, displays,
fuel cells, or catalytic applications. "Stubborn" metals, however --
which include elements like platinum, iridium, ruthenium, and tungsten,
among others -- are very difficult to convert into thin films because
they require extremely high temperatures (usually more than 2,000 degrees Celsius) to evaporate.

Typically, scientists synthesize these metal films using techniques
like sputtering and electron beam evaporation. The latter consists of
melting and evaporating metals at high temperatures and allowing a film
to form on top of wafers. But, this conventional method is very expensive,
uses a lot of energy, and may also be unsafe due to the high voltage used.

Now, University of Minnesota researchers have developed a way to evaporate these metals at significantly lower temperatures, fewer than 200 degrees Celsius instead of several thousands. By designing and adding organic
ligands - - combinations of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms -- to
the metals, the researchers were able to substantially increase the
materials' vapor pressures, making them easier to evaporate at lower temperatures. Not only is their new technique simpler, but it also makes
higher quality materials that are easily scalable.

"The ability to make new materials with ease and control is essential
to transition into a new era of energy economy," said Bharat Jalan,
the senior author of the study, an expert in material synthesis, and
an associate professor and Shell Chair in the University of Minnesota Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science (CEMS). "There
is already a historical link between the innovation in synthesis science
and the development of new technology. Millions of dollars go into making materials for various applications. Now, we've come up with a simpler and cheaper technology that enables better materials with atomic precision."
These metals are used to make myriad products, from semiconductors for
computer applications to display technology. Platinum, for example,
also makes a great catalyst for energy conversion and storage and is
being looked at for use in spintronic devices.

"Bringing down the cost and complexity of metal deposition while also
allowing for deposition of more complex materials like oxides will play a
large role in both industrial and research efforts," said William Nunn,
a University of Minnesota chemical engineering and materials science
graduate student, the paper's first author, and a recipient of the
department's Robert V. Mattern Fellowship. "Now that depositing these
metals like platinum will become easier, we hope to see renewed interest
in the more complex materials which contain these stubborn metals." ========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_Minnesota. Note:
Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. William Nunn, Anusha Kamath Manjeshwar, Jin Yue, Anil
Rajapitamahuni,
Tristan K. Truttmann, Bharat Jalan. Novel synthesis approach
for "stubborn" metals and metal oxides. Proceedings of the
National Academy of Sciences, 2021; 118 (32): e2105713118 DOI:
10.1073/pnas.2105713118 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/08/210806155858.htm

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