Interplay between coordination sphere engineering and properties of nickel diketonate–diamine complexes as vapor phase precursors for the growth of NiO thin films
Mattia Benedet, Davide Barreca, Ettore Fois, Roberta Seraglia, Gloria Tabacchi, Marco Roverso, Gioele Pagot, Cristiano Invernizzi, Alberto Gasparotto, Alexandra A. Heidecker, Alexander Pöthig, Emanuela Callone, Sandra Dirè, Sara Bogialli, Vito Di Noto, Chiara Maccato
Abstract
'-tetramethylethylenediamine]. Controlled variations in the diketonate structure are pursued to investigate the influence of steric hindrance and fluorination degree on the chemico-physical characteristics of the compounds. A multi-technique investigation supported by density functional calculations highlights that all complexes are air-insensitive and monomeric and that their thermal properties and fragmentation patterns are directly dependent on functional groups in the diketonate ligands. Preliminary thermal CVD experiments demonstrate the precursors' suitability for the obtainment of NiO films endowed with flat and homogeneous surfaces, paving the way to future implementation for CVD end-uses.