Understanding and Controlling the Aggregative Growth of Platinum Nanoparticles in Atomic Layer Deposition

an Avenue to Size Selection

Journal Article (2017)
Author(s)

Fabio Grillo (TU Delft - ChemE/Product and Process Engineering)

Hao Bui (TU Delft - ChemE/Product and Process Engineering)

J.A. Moulijn (TU Delft - ChemE/Catalysis Engineering)

M.T. Kreutzer (TU Delft - ChemE/Chemical Engineering)

J. R. Van Ommen (TU Delft - ChemE/Product and Process Engineering)

Research Group
ChemE/Product and Process Engineering
Copyright
© 2017 F. Grillo, H.V. Bui, J.A. Moulijn, M.T. Kreutzer, J.R. van Ommen
DOI related publication
https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpclett.6b02978
More Info
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Publication Year
2017
Language
English
Copyright
© 2017 F. Grillo, H.V. Bui, J.A. Moulijn, M.T. Kreutzer, J.R. van Ommen
Research Group
ChemE/Product and Process Engineering
Issue number
5
Volume number
8
Pages (from-to)
975-983
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Abstract

We present an atomistic understanding of the evolution of the size distribution with temperature and number of cycles in atomic layer deposition (ALD) of Pt nanoparticles (NPs). Atomistic modeling of our experiments teaches us that the NPs grow mostly via NP diffusion and coalescence rather than through single-atom processes such as precursor chemisorption, atom attachment, and Ostwald ripening. In particular, our analysis shows that the NP aggregation takes place during the oxygen half-reaction and that the NP mobility exhibits a size- and temperature-dependent scaling. Finally, we show that contrary to what has been widely reported, in general, one cannot simply control the NP size by the number of cycles alone. Instead, while the amount of Pt deposited can be precisely controlled over a wide range of temperatures, ALD-like precision over the NP size requires low deposition temperatures (e.g., T < 100 °C) when growth is dominated by atom attachment.