(403c) Fabrication and Characterization of Porous Alumina Nanolayers Via Molecular Layer Deposition

Porous nanolayers of alumina can be fabricated by the deposition of alucone, an aluminum alkoxide polymer, onto zirconia nanoparticles, followed by the calcination of the layers in order to remove the organic portion of the molecule. Two monomer structures of alucone were used: AB, which consists of trimethylaluminum (TMA) and ethylene glycol (EG); and ABC, composed of trimethylaluminum (TMA), ethanolamine (EA) and maleic anhydride (MA). Using molecular layer deposition, self-assembled monolayers of these polymers were coated on zirconia nanoparticles, with varying film thickness. The particles were subsequently calcinated at different temperatures in order to produce different porous layer structures. These porous layers were characterized with TEM, EDS, and other techniques in order to study their structure and porosity. The same procedure was repeated for platinum particles supported on zirconia, which were used in an oxidation reactor. A possible future application of these layers is in prevention of catalyst sintering, as well as selectivity control.