Deposition of thin films of a transition metal complex by spin coating

Advancements in Nanoparticle Deposition Techniques for Diverse Substrates: A Review

Nanoparticle deposition on various substrates has gained significant attention due to the potential applications of nanoparticles in various fields. This review paper comprehensively analyzes different nanoparticle deposition techniques on ceramic, polymeric, and metallic substrates. The deposition techniques covered include electron gun evaporation, physical vapor deposition, plasma enriched chemical vapor deposition (PECVD), electrochemical deposition, chemical vapor deposition, electrophoretic deposition, laser metal deposition, and atomic layer deposition (ALD), thermophoretic deposition, supercritical deposition, spin coating, and dip coating. Additionally, the sustainability aspects of these deposition techniques are discussed, along with their potential applications in anti-icing, antibacterial power, and filtration systems. Finally, the review explores the importance of deposition purities in achieving optimal nanomaterial performance. This comprehensive review aims to provide valuable insights into state-of-the-art techniques and applications in the field of nanomaterial deposition.

Spectrophotometric Determination of Formation Constants of Iron(III) Complexes with Several Ligands

Dye-sensitized solar cells transform solar light into electricity. One commonly used dye is a ruthenium complex. However, the use of ruthenium has been shown to have several disadvantages. In this study, via singular spectrum analysis using HypSpec software, we determined the formation constants and calculated individual electronic spectra of species of iron(III) with several ligands (1,2-diaminoethane, 1,3-diaminopropane, 1,4-diaminobutane, 2,2′-bipyridyl, 5,5-dimethyl-2,2′-bipyridyl, 4,4′-di-tert-butyl-2,2′-bipyridyl, 1,10-phenanthroline, and 3,4,7,8-tetramethyl-1,10-phenanthroline) in methanol solution. We present a spectral comparison of the complexes reported here to the ruthenium complex: tris-(2,2′-bipyridyl)ruthenium(II).

Copper(II) Perfluorinated Carboxylate Complexes with Small Aliphatic Amines as Universal Precursors for Nanomaterial Fabrication

Copper(II) carboxylate compounds with ethylamine and isopropylamine of the general formula [Cu2(RNH2)2(µ-O2CRf)4], where R = Et, iPr, and Rf = CnF2n+1, n = 1-6, were characterised in the condensed and gas phases by electron impact mass spectrometry (EI MS), IR spectroscopy, and thermal analysis. A mass spectra analysis confirmed the presence of metallated species in the gas phase. Among the observed fragments, the pseudomolecular ions [Cu2(RNH2)2(µ-O2CRf)3]+ were found, which suggests the dimeric structure of the studied complexes with axially N-coordinated ethyl- or isopropylamine molecules and bridging perfluorinated carboxylates. TGA studies demonstrated that copper transfer to the gas phase occurs even under atmospheric pressure. The temperature range of the [Cu2(RNH2)2(µ-O2CRf)4] and other copper carriers detection, observed in variable temperature infrared spectra, depends on the type of amine. The possible mechanisms of the decomposition of the tested compounds are proposed. The copper films were produced without additional reducing agents despite using Cu(II) CVD precursors in the chemical vapor deposition experiments. The layers of the gel-like complexes were fabricated in both spin- and dip-coating experiments, resulting in copper or copper oxide materials when heated. Dinuclear copper(II) carboxylate complexes with ethyl- and isopropylamine [Cu2(RNH2)2(µ-O2CRf)4] can be applied for the formation of metal or metal oxide materials, also in the nanoscale, by vapour and 'wet' deposition methods.

Dinuclear Copper(II) Complexes with Schiff Bases Derived from 2-Hydroxy-5-Methylisophthalaldehyde and Histamine or 2-(2-Aminoethyl)pyridine and Their Application as Magnetic and Fluorescent Materials in Thin Film Deposition

Two Cu(II) complexes, 1 and 2, with tridentate Schiff bases derived from 2-hydroxy-5-methylisophthalaldehyde and histamine HL1 or 2-(2-aminoethyl)pyridine HL2, respectively, were obtained and characterized by X-ray crystallography, spectroscopic (UV-vis, fluorescence, IR, and EPR), magnetic, and thermal methods. Despite the fact that the chelate formed by the NNO ligand donors (C26-C25H2-C24H2-N23=C23H-C22-C19Ph(O1)-C2(Ph)-C3H=N3-C4H2-C5H2-C6 fragment) are identical, as well as the synthesis of Cu(II) complexes (Cu:L = 2:1 molar ratio) was performed in the same manner, the structures of the complexes differ significantly. The complex 1, {[Cu2(L1)Cl2]2[CuCl4]}·2MeCN·2H2O, consists of [Cu2(L1)Cl2]+ units in which Cu(II) ions are bridged by the HL1 ligand oxygen and each of these Cu(II) ions is connected with Cu(II) ions of the next dimeric unit via two bridging Cl- ions to form a chain structure. In the dinuclear [Cu2(L2)Cl3]0.5MeCN complex 2, each Cu(II) is asymmetrically bridged by the ligand oxygen and chloride anions, whereas the remaining chloride anions are apically bound to Cu(II) cations. In contrast to the complex 1, the square-pyramidal geometry of the both Cu(II) centers is strongly distorted. The magnetic study revealed that antiferromagnetic interactions in the complex 2 are much stronger than in the complex 1, which was corresponded with magneto-structural examination. Thin layers of the studied Cu(II) complexes were deposited on Si(111) by the spin coating method and studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM/EDS), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and fluorescence spectroscopy. The Cu(II) complexes and their thin layers exhibited fluorescence between 489-509 nm and 460-464 nm for the compounds and the layers, respectively. Additionally, DFT calculations were performed to explain the structures and electronic spectral properties of the ligands.

X-ray structure and magnetic and fluorescence characteristics of new Cu(ii) complexes with Schiff bases derived from 2-(2-aminoethyl)pyridine and 2-hydroxy-1-naphthaldehyde; morphology and fluorescence of their thin films

Cu(ii) complexes with tridentate Schiff bases derived from 2-(2-aminoethyl)pyridine and 2-hydroxy-1-naphthaldehyde and COO-, Cl- and NO3- as ligands were obtained and characterized by crystal and molecular, spectroscopic (UV-Vis, fluorescence, IR, and EPR), magnetic and thermal methods. The X-ray crystal structure analysis revealed a distorted square planar geometry for [Cu(ii)(PEMN)CH3COO]CHCl3, 1, and [Cu(ii)(PEMN)Cl], 2, and a distorted square-pyramidal geometry for [Cu(ii)(PEMN)NO3], 3, corresponding to the values of EPR g-matrix diagonal components. The copper(ii) complexes exhibited fluorescence in solution in the range of 370-410 nm. Thin layers of the studied copper(ii) complexes were deposited on Si(111) by a spin coating method and studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM/EDS), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and fluorescence spectroscopy. For copper(ii) layers (2/Si), the most intense fluorescence band from an intraligand and a d-d transition between 490 and 550 nm was observed.

Chelated metal ions modulate the strength and geometry of stacking interactions: energies and potential energy surfaces for chelate-chelate stacking

Quantum chemical calculations were performed on model systems of stacking interactions between the acac type chelate rings of nickel, palladium, and platinum. CCSD(T)/CBS calculations showed that chelate-chelate stacking interactions are significantly stronger than chelate-aryl and aryl-aryl stacking interactions. Interaction energy surfaces were calculated at the LC-ωPBE-D3BJ/aug-cc-pVDZ level, which gives energies in good agreement with CCSD(T)/CBS. The stacking of chelates in an antiparallel orientation is stronger than the stacking in a parallel orientation, which is in agreement with the larger number of antiparallel stacked chelates in crystal structures from the Cambridge Structural Database. The strongest antiparallel chelate-chelate stacking interaction is formed between two platinum chelates, with a CCSD(T)/CBS interaction energy of -9.70 kcal mol-1, while the strongest stacking between two palladium chelates and two nickel chelates has CCSD(T)/CBS energies of -9.21 kcal mol-1 and -9.50 kcal mol-1, respectively. The strongest parallel chelate-chelate stacking was found for palladium chelates, with a LC-ωPBE-D3BJ/aug-cc-pVDZ energy of -6.51 kcal mol-1. The geometries of the potential surface minima are not the same for the three metals. The geometries of the minima are governed by electrostatic interactions, which are the ones determining the positions of the energy minima. Electrostatic interactions are governed by different electrostatic potentials above the metals, which are very positive for nickel, slightly positive for palladium, and slightly negative for platinum.

The interplay between spin densities and magnetic superexchange interactions: case studies of mono- and trinuclear bis(oxamato)-type complexes

For future molecular spintronic applications the possibility to modify and tailor the magnetic properties of transition-metal complexes is very promising. One of such possibilities is given by the countless derivatization offered by carbon chemistry. They allow for altering chemical structures and, in doing so, to tune magnetic properties of molecular spin-carrying compounds. With emphasis on the interplay of the spin density distribution of mononuclear and magnetic superexchange couplings of trinuclear bis(oxamato)-type complexes we review on efforts on such magneto-structural correlations.

Synthesis and structure of large 24-mer and 36-mer oxamate-based macrocycles

Poly(cyclic) oxamates represent novel and potentially multidentate ligands for coordination chemistry. To obtain them, the treatment of 2-nitroaniline with two equivalents of oxalyl chloride afforded N,N′-bis(2-nitrophenyl)oxalamide (1), and by reduction of 1 with [NH4][CO2H] and Pd/C, N,N′-bis(2-aminophenyl)oxalamide (2, bapoxH6) was synthesized. After the addition of an equimolar amount of oxalyl chloride to a THF solution of 2 and aqueous work-up the 24-membered macrocycle H8L2 was obtained. In analogues experiments, the addition of ethoxalyl and oxalyl chloride to 2 afforded the 36-membered macrocycle H12L3. The addition of Cu(OAc)2·H2O and NaOH to 2 gave rise to the formation of [Cu2(bapoxH4)(OAc)2] (4). The identities of 1, 2 and H8L2 were determined by elemental analysis, IR, NMR spectroscopic studies and by mass spectrometry. The solid state structures of H8L2, H12L3 and 4 have been determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies. Macrocycle H12L3 forms chains through intermolecular hydrogen bonds, while packing of 4 consists of layers held by intermolecular dispersion and hydrogen bond interactions. 24-mer H8L2 forms a cavity with a diameter of about 7.5 Å corresponding to an accessible volume of about 120 Å3 according to the well-established 55% solution and was found to bind bromide and iodide anions selectively.

Crystal structure of an unknown solvate of bis-(tetra-n-butyl-ammonium) [N,N'-(4-tri-fluoro-methyl-1,2-phenyl-ene)bis-(oxamato)-κ(4) O,N,N',O']nickelate(II)

In the title compound, [N(C4H9)4]2[Ni(C11H3F3N2O6)] or [N(n-Bu)4]2[Ni(topbo)] [n-Bu = n-butyl and topbo = 4-tri-fluoro-methyl-1,2-phenyl-enebis(oxamate)], the Ni(2+) cation is coordinated by two deprotonated amido N atoms and two carboxyl-ate O atoms, setting up a slightly distorted square-planar coordination environment. The [Ni(topbo](2-) anion lies on a twofold rotation axis. Due to an incompatibility with the point-group symmetry of the complete mol-ecule, orientational disorder of the CF3 group is observed. The tetra-hedral ammonium cations and the anion are linked by weak inter-molecular C-H⋯O and C-H⋯F hydrogen-bonding inter-actions into a three-dimensional network. A region of electron density was treated with the SQUEEZE procedure in PLATON [Spek (2015). Acta Cryst. C71, 9-18] following unsuccessful attempts to model it as plausible solvent mol-ecule(s). The given chemical formula and other crystal data do not take into account the unknown solvent mol-ecule.

Control of Cobalt Catalyst Thin Film Thickness by Varying Spin Speed in Spin Coating towards Carbon Nanotube Growth

Cobalt (Co) catalyst thin film is an active metal catalyst that can be very helpful to grow carbon nanotubes (CNTs). The catalyst thin films were prepared on silicon wafers by spin coating the solution of cobalt acetate tetrahydrate and ethanol. The effects of different spin speed parameter during the spin coating process were investigated. The findings showed that the optimum thickness of the Co catalyst thin films, i.e., 12.1 nm, was obtained at the highest spin speed of 8000 rpm. The uniformity of the thin films was also found to increase with increasing spin speed. The study also demonstrated that single-walled carbon nanotubes could be grown from Co catalyst particles after the catalytic chemical vapor deposition of ethanol. The particle and thickness analysis, as performed by means of FESEM while the existence of CNTs, was performed by Raman spectroscopy.

Stacking of metal chelates with benzene: can dispersion-corrected DFT be used to calculate organic-inorganic stacking?

CCSD(T)/CBS energies for stacking of nickel and copper chelates are calculated and used as benchmark data for evaluating the performance of dispersion-corrected density functionals for calculating the interaction energies. The best functionals for modeling the stacking of benzene with the nickel chelate are M06HF-D3 with the def2-TZVP basis set, and B3LYP-D3 with either def2-TZVP or aug-cc-pVDZ basis set, whereas for copper chelate the PBE0-D3 with def2-TZVP basis set yielded the best results. M06L-D3 with aug-cc-pVDZ gives satisfying results for both chelates. Most of the tested dispersion-corrected density functionals do not reproduce the benchmark data for stacking of benzene with both nickel (no unpaired electrons) and copper chelate (one unpaired electron), whereas a number of these functionals perform well for interactions of organic molecules.

A simple and room temperature sol–gel process for the fabrication of cobalt nanoparticles as an effective catalyst for carbon nanotube growth

Cobalt catalyst thin films were prepared on silicon wafers using a spin coating process.

Photofunctional nanocomposites based on the functionalization of metal–organic frameworks by up/down conversion luminescent nanophosphors

A novel strategy is demonstrated to construct photofunctional nanocomposites by composing surfactant-capped nanophosphors and a zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF-8) unit. These nanocomposites show tunable luminescence performance for different photoactive units under different excitation. These provide useful data for potential applications in optical devices.

Solution-processed morphology-controllable nanosphere structured highly efficient and stable nickel sulfide counter electrodes for dye- and quantum dot-sensitized solar cells

The DSSC and QDSSC based on as-prepared NiS CE at 0.8 M urea produce a PCE of 5.75% and 3.37%.

Structural studies of copper(ii) complexes with 2-(2-aminoethyl)pyridine derived Schiff bases and application as precursors of thin organic–inorganic layers

Cu(ii) complexes with Schiff bases derived from 2-pyridin-2-ylethanamine were obtained and characterized by UV-Vis, fluorescence, and IR spectra.

Hybrid polymer thin films with a lanthanide–zeolite A host–guest system: coordination bonding assembly and photo-integration

Three tricolor luminous materials based on novel transparent hybrid films of polymer–lanthanide–zeolite A were assembled. The white light emission from the tricolor luminous materials can be tuned easily by adjusting the different concentrations of the doped ions and the excitation wavelength.

1,4-Dihydro-benzo[g]quinoxaline-2,3-dione

The title compound, C₁₂H₈N₂O₂, was prepared by the reaction of the diethyl ester of naphthalene­bis­(oxamate) with tert-BuNH₂. The mol­ecule is nearly planar, with an r.m.s. deviation of 0.017 Å from the plane through all 16 non-H atoms. In the crystal, a three-dimensional network is formed, composed of layers of mol­ecules along the b- and c-axis directions, due to the formation of inter­molecular N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds, as well as of chains along the a-axis direction due to parallel displaced sandwich-type π–π inter­actions with average distances between the inter­acting mol­ecules in the range 3.35–3.40 Å.