Abstract
Nanocoatings on solids can be achieved by various processes, including sol-gel and atomic layer deposition. However, challenges remain for achieving uniform nanocoatings on nanoscale substrates at a large scale. Here, we report a versatile and fundamentally different technique, termed condensed layer deposition, for depositing conformal metal oxide nanocoatings on nanoparticles and nanofibers. This approach involves water in liquid hydrocarbons condensing as a nanoscale water film on the substrate surface, enabled by interfacial tension between polar water and nonpolar liquid hydrocarbons. Chemical precursors are then added, which react with the condensed water film to form a metal oxide nanocoating. We demonstrate this for titania, alumina, and niobia on substrates including carbon nanotubes, iron oxide particles and carbon black. Condensed layer deposition can achieve oxide nanocoatings on a variety of substrates with tunable thickness, in one pass, at room temperature.
Highlights
Nanocoatings on solids can be achieved by various processes, including sol-gel and atomic layer deposition
When a chemical precursor is injected into the nanoparticle dispersion, it reacts with the condensed water film to form a metal oxide nanocoating
The nanocoatings are made using the condensed water film deposited on the nanoscale substrate surfaces
Summary
Nanocoatings on solids can be achieved by various processes, including sol-gel and atomic layer deposition. We report a versatile and fundamentally different technique, termed condensed layer deposition, for depositing conformal metal oxide nanocoatings on nanoparticles and nanofibers This approach involves water in liquid hydrocarbons condensing as a nanoscale water film on the substrate surface, enabled by interfacial tension between polar water and nonpolar liquid hydrocarbons. Chemical precursors are added, which react with the condensed water film to form a metal oxide nanocoating. While it requires vapor precursors and often high temperatures, the coatings formed are mostly dense Another commonly used vapor phase process is the atomic layer deposition (ALD)[10,11,12]. The CLD technique utilizes nanoscale condensed water films to react with chemical precursors in creating metal oxide nanocoatings. The new CLD technique can make conformal metal oxide nanocoatings on various nanoscale surfaces in one pass at room temperature
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