U.S.-Germany Cooperative Research: Ceramic Thin Films on Self-Assembled Organic Monolayers

该奖项支持凯斯西储大学的博士后Mark R. De Guire博士和一名研究生，他们与斯图加特马克斯普朗克金属研究所的Fritz Aldinger合作。这两个小组之间的合作将研究使用水溶液前驱体和有机自组装单层（SAMS）合成均匀晶体陶瓷薄膜。研究工具包括利用小角x射线散射（SAXS）研究陶瓷膜的成核和生长；使用原子力显微镜（AFM）进行力测量；使用Derjaguin、Landau、Verwey和Overbeek理论对相互作用进行建模；利用源溶液的热力学模型，确定了形成薄膜的关键物质，并预测了最佳沉积条件。这两个小组为工作带来了独特和互补的能力。美国团队是最早研究和开发在SAMS上沉积陶瓷薄膜的团队之一。马克斯普朗克研究所的研究人员在使用SAXS和AFM研究结晶方面拥有丰富的经验。这项工作将促进对薄膜形成机制的基本理解，这将使薄膜的微观结构得到更好的控制，更高的生长速率，更容易沉积多组分薄膜。

This award supports Dr. Mark R. De Guire, one postdoc, and a graduate student from Case Western Reserve in a collaboration with Fritz Aldinger of the Max Planck Institute for Metals Research in Stuttgart. The collaboration between the two groups will investigate the synthesis of uniform crystalline ceramic thin films using aqueous solution precursors and organic self-assembled monolayers (SAMS). The research tools include study of nucleation and growth of the ceramic films using small-angle x-ray scattering (SAXS); force measurements using atomic force microscopy (AFM); modeling of interactions using Derjaguin, Landau, Verwey, and Overbeek theory; and identification of key species responsible for film formation and prediction of optimum deposition conditions using thermodynamic modeling of the source solutions. The two groups bring unique and complementary capabilities to the work. The U.S. group was among the first to study and develop the deposition of ceramic thin films on SAMS. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute have extensive experience in the study of crystallization using SAXS and AFM. The work will advance the fundamental understanding of mechanisms whereby films are formed, which will enable greater control of the films' microstructures, higher growth rates, and easier deposition of multi-component films.