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Sol-gel synthesis of highly dispersed cobalt nanoparticles on silica thin films

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Abstract

Cobalt nanoparticles were synthesized on silica thin films by heat treating Co/silica films spun on thermally oxidized Si substrates. The as-deposited films were calcined in vacuum (∼0.03 Torr) for 2 h at 500 °C, followed by reduction in hydrogen at 650 °C for up to 15 h. The reduction process is characterized as one of time-dependent evolution of nanoparticles in both physical appearance and phase nature, eventually leading to the formation of well-dispersed Co nanoparticles, as ascertained by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Slow conversion of Co ions into metallic Co observed in this study is ascribed to the absence of a Co3O4 phase that forms predominantly during calcination in air. Atomic force microscopy revealed a marked increase in the surface roughness of the film due to the development of nanoparticles. A distinct duplex-layer structure was observed in the reduced film, which consisted of the upper layer laden with nanoparticles and the lower layer essentially particle-free. The growth of the upper layer appears to be controlled by the upward diffusion of Co2+ in the film during the reduction process.

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Author notes

  1. S. M. Park

    Present address: Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, IL, 60616, USA

  2. W. Ki

    Present address: Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemical, Biomedical, and Materials Engineering, Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, New Jersey, 07030, USA

    S. M. Park

  2. Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA

    J. Yu & H. Du

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  1. S. M. Park
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Correspondence to S. M. Park.

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Park, S.M., Ki, W., Yu, J. et al. Sol-gel synthesis of highly dispersed cobalt nanoparticles on silica thin films. Journal of Materials Research 20, 3094–3101 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1557/JMR.2005.0390

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