Electron beam-based direct writing of nanostructures using a palladium β-ketoesterate complex
Gas-assisted focused electron beam-induced deposition (FEBID) as a direct, minimally invasive 3D nanopatterning tool offers many advantages in making nanostructures with complex shapes and novel compositions for evolving nanotechnological applications. In this work, structures were nanoprinted using a fluorine-free (3-ketoesterate complex, bis(tert-butylacetoacetate)palladium(II), [Pd(tbaoac)2]. The internal nanostructure and composition of the deposits were determined, and possible volatile products produced under electron-induced dissociation, explaining the composition, are investigated. A method to eliminate the residual gas contamination during FEBID was implemented. [Pd(tbaoac)2] contains large organic ligands and only about 5 atom % palladium in the pristine molecule, yet the obtained palladium content in the deposits amounts to around 30 atom %. This translates to an exceptional removal efficiency of about 90% for the ligand-constituting elements carbon and oxygen through electron-induced dissociation and desorption mechanisms. Comparison with other precursors confirms that the (3-ketoesterate family has the highest ligand removal percentage and constitutes thus an interesting model chemistry for further high-metal-content FEBID studies. The possibility of growing nanopillars makes this complex a promising precursor for nanoprinting 3D structures with finely
WOS:001469167500001
École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology Domain
Nicolaus Copernicus Univ Torun NCU
Nicolaus Copernicus Univ Torun NCU
École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology Domain
2025-04-15
16
530
539
REVIEWED
EPFL
| Funder | Funding(s) | Grant Number | Grant URL |
Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) | |||
COST-SNSF project | IZCOZ0_205450 | ||
European Union (EU) | CA 19140 | ||
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