The results represent a significant breakthrough in the way liquids are produced for semiconductor fabrication, said co-author Douglas A. Keszler, distinguished professor of chemistry at Oregon State and adjunct UO chemistry professor. "We now have new methods for pushing printed inorganic electronics to higher levels of performance within a useful class of materials."
Researchers in Johnson's lab have been experimenting with low-temperature production of a series of such heterometallic nanoclusters, which consist of 13 atoms and contain two different metals in the metal 13 framework, which may prove desirable for long-term applications in solid-state electronics. The nanocluster identified in the paper is labeled a Ga7In6 hydroxide.
"We're starting from a bottom-up approach, in that we can make these with the ratios we desire already built in," Mensinger said. "Using this nitroso compound, we get a higher yield and at a larger scale. I screened several of these compounds to narrow down the best choice. We can also re-use the nitroso compound. It is still present at the end of the reaction, so we can remove it and use it in future reactions."
While the nitroso compound produces usable amounts of nanoclusters for potential semiconductor applications and is reusable in subsequent production, it is toxic, Johnson noted. "It is great because it allowed us to make these clusters that had never been made before, but it is not truly a green-chemistry method," Johnson said. "We're looking at how it works and hope to replace it with a more benign reagent."
|Contact: Jim Barlow|
University of Oregon