Combinatorial CVD

这是一个为支持卡玛特/帕金联合研究小组提供基线资金的平台申请。Parkin和Carmalt在化学气相沉积（CVD）领域进行了广泛的合作。Carmalt专注于用于CVD的分子前体的合成，而Parkin则专注于CVD的生长和由这些前体和其他前体制成的薄膜的功能表征。在这项研究过程中，他们发现了大量的新相，特别是金属氮化物、氧化物、硫化物和硒化物材料，这些材料由于动力学原因和前驱体设计而被证明是传统固态合成无法获得的。他们还确定了如何控制CVD生长的晶体的择优生长和取向。这使他们能够生长出具有改进功能特性的材料，用于各种应用，从气体传感器，到超疏水、超亲水性表面，再到热致变色和自清洁薄膜。这项工作的顶峰，特别是在新相测定方面，是他们使用组合CVD来合成新材料。组合心血管疾病是目前Carmalt和Parkin联合小组的主要关注点，也是他们目前EPSRC所有资金的重要组成部分。例如，这种方法使他们能够制造出一系列新的混合金属氧化物光催化剂和一系列新的Ti3O4-xN1相。化学。Soc。学报，2006,28 (1):12147-55；j。化学。Soc。中文信息学报，2007,17,4652-60)。组合CVD工艺具有非凡的潜力。例如，申请人已经展示了如何在单个CVD实验中制造多达800种不同的相组成。他们还展示了如何利用可编程的可移动X-Y阶段拉曼、电导率和x射线测量技术，以机器人的方式探索这个大相位范围，从而在一夜之间的实验中绘制出整个相空间。这项技术提供了快速寻找新相的潜力，并探索了一个系统的组成范围，以确定哪种材料组合导致最佳的功能特性。然后，他们能够调整合成条件，使所需的相。这项工作主要集中在制作薄膜上，但是他们已经通过分层方法证明了他们可以制造克数量的材料。他们希望利用这一独特的技术并在三个主要领域发展其潜力；*制备用于水分解和抗菌应用的新型可见光催化剂-此类材料有可能彻底改变能源产生并减少医院获得性感染。*薄膜用作超灵敏气体传感器的制备-我们计划将这种材料用于开发一个单一的呼吸传感器，这可以在医生的常规手术中用于疾病诊断（超过30种疾病可以从呼出的气体中诊断-然而目前的分析需要运送到实验室，需要一个多星期）。*用于光伏薄膜和透明导电薄膜的新前驱体的合成。例如;发展低压组合化学气相沉积技术，以形成包括硒化铟镓及相关材料在内的改进半导体材料，本子项目的目标是利用组合化学气相沉积技术实现这些重要的三元及高阶材料的低加工成本、高通量和高质量的薄膜沉积。采用低压化学气相沉积法，用两/三种不同的前驱体气流，例如一种用于硒化铟，一种用于硒化镓，一种用于硒化铜，来生长梯度组成的薄膜。气流的扩散允许梯度成分（例如CuGaxIn1-xSe2）在整个板上。

This is an application for a Platform for baseline funding to support the joint Carmalt/Parkin research group. Parkin and Carmalt have collaborated extensively in the area of Chemical Vapour Deposition (CVD). Carmalt has focussed on the synthesis of molecular precursors for use in CVD, whereas Parkin has concentrated on the CVD growth and functional characterisation of thin films from these and other precursors. In the course of this research they have, unusually for CVD, discovered a wide number of new phases especially metal nitride, oxide, sulfide and selenide materials that had proven due to kinetic reasons and precursor design, unobtainable by conventional solid-state synthesis. They have also determined how to control preferred growth and orientation of crystallites grown by CVD. This has enabled them to grow materials with improved functional properties for a variety of applications from gas-sensors, through ultraphobic, superhydrophilic surfaces to thermochromic and self-cleaning films. The pinnacle of this work, especially for new phase determination has been their use of combinatorial CVD for the synthesis of new materials. Combinatorial CVD is currently the major focus of the Carmalt and Parkin joint group and is a significant component of all of their current EPSRC funding. This methodology has enabled them, for example, to make a range of new mixed metal oxide photocatalysts and a new series of Ti3O4-xN1 phases (see J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2006, 128, 12147-55; J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2007, 17, 4652-60). The combinatorial CVD process has extraordinary potential. The applicants have shown how, for example, in a single CVD experiment up to 800 different phase compositions can be made. They have also shown how this large phase range can be explored in a robotic fashion using programmed movable X-Y stage Raman, electrical conductivity and X-ray measurements such that the whole phase space can be mapped in overnight experiments. This technique offers the potential to rapidly search for new phases and to explore a systematic range of compositions to determine which combination of materials leads to the best functional properties. They are then able to adjust the synthesis conditions and make the desired phase. The work is primarily focussed at making thin films, however they have shown through a delamination methodology that they can make gram quantities of materials. They wish to take advantage of this unique technique and develop its potential in three main areas;* The preparation of new visible light photocatalysts for water splitting and antimicrobial applications- such materials have potential to revolutionalise energy generation and reduce hospital acquired infections.* The preparation of thin films for use as ultra-sensitive gas sensors- we plan to incorporate such materials to develop a single breath sensor, this could be used routinely in a surgery by a doctor for disease diagnosis (over 30 diseases can be diagnosed from exhaled breath- however current analysis requires shipment to a lab and takes over a week).* The synthesis of new precursors for use as photovoltaic thin films and transparent conducting films. For example; develop low pressure combinatorial CVD to form improved semiconductor materials including indium gallium selenides and related materials, the aim of this subproject is to achieve low processing cost, high throughput and high quality film deposition of these important ternary and higher order materials using combinatorial LPCVD. Thin films of graded composition will be grown by using low pressure chemical vapour deposition with two/three separate precursor gas streams, e.g. one for indium selenide, one for gallium selenide and one for copper selenide. Diffusion of the gas streams allows graded compositions (e.g. CuGaxIn1-xSe2) across the whole plate.