Precursors metal alkoxides

Besides pH, other preparative variables that can affect the microstructure of a gel, and consequendy, the properties of the dried and heat-treated product iaclude water content, solvent, precursor type and concentration, and temperature (9). Of these, water content has been studied most extensively because of its large effect on gelation and its relative ease of use as a preparative variable. In general, too Httie water (less than one mole per mole of metal alkoxide) prevents gelation and too much (more than the stoichiometric amount) leads to precipitation (3,9). Other than the amount of water used, the rate at which it is added offers another level of control over gel characteristics. 

Specialty Aluminas. Process control (qv) teclmiques permit production of calcined specialty aluminas ha nng controlled median particle sizes differentiated by about 0.5 ]lm. Tliis broad selection enables closer shrinkage control of high tech ceramic parts. Production of pure 99.99% -AI2O2 powder from alkoxide precursors (see Alkoxides, metal), apparently in spherical form, offers the potential of satisfying the most advanced appUcations for calcined aluminas requiring tolerances of 0.1% shrinkage. 

Solution Deposition of Thin Films. Chemical methods of preparation may also be used for the fabrication of ceramic thin films (qv). MetaHo-organic precursors, notably metal alkoxides (see Alkoxides, metal) and metal carboxylates, are most frequently used for film preparation by sol-gel or metallo-organic decomposition (MOD) solution deposition processes (see Sol-GEL technology). These methods involve dissolution of the precursors in a mutual solvent control of solution characteristics such as viscosity and concentration, film deposition by spin-casting or dip-coating, and heat treatment to remove volatile organic species and induce crystaHhation of the as-deposited amorphous film into the desired stmcture. 

Sol-gel chemistry offers a unique advantage in the creation of novel organic-inorganic hybrids. The sol-gel process begins with a solution of metal alkoxide precursors [M(0/f) ] and water, where M is a network-forming element, and R is typically an alkyl group. Hydrolysis and... 

The most common sol-gel process employs metal alkoxides of network forming elements (M(0R) where M is Si, B, Ti, Al, etc. and R is often an alkyl group) as monomeric precursors. In alcohol/water solutions the alkoxide groups are removed stepwise by hydrolysis reactions, generally employing acid or base catalysts, and are... 

The sol-gel process involves hydrolysis of alkoxide precursors under acidic or basic conditions, followed by condensation and polycondensation of the hydroxylated units, which lead to the formation of porous gel. Typically a low molecular weight metal alkoxide precursor molecule such as tetramethoxy silane (TMOS) or tetra ethoxysilane (TEOS) is hydrolyzed first in the presence of water, acid catalyst, and mutual solvent... 

For polymeric CSD processes, three classes of metal organic (metallo-organic) compounds are used most often as starting reagents metal alkoxides, metal carboxylates, and metal beta-diketonates. These species differ in their solubility and reactivity, as well as their tendency to react with one another, all of which are factors that may influence starting reagent selection. Representative structures of these classes of precursors are illustrated in Fig. 2.2.8... 

Metal alkoxide compounds, frequently represented as M(OR)x, where M is a metal and R is an alkyl group, are the most common precursors in sol-gel CSD processes and are also frequently used in chelate processes.3-12,30-34 Groups such as OR, which are bound to a metal center, are frequently referred to as ligands. Alkoxide compounds, including commonly used alkoxides such as... 

These reactions have been studied in detail for materials such as silica, and understanding of reaction mechanisms, as well as of the role of the precursor and catalyst (acid or base), has been well documented.63,64 Similar studies have been carried out in other material systems, most notably, lead zirconate titanate [Pb(Zr,Ti)03 PZT].52,65-68 For multicomponent (mixed-metal) systems such as those noted, prehydrolysis of less reactive alkoxides is sometimes employed to improve solution compositional uniformity. Other synthetic strategies to achieve molecular level mixing of reagents have also been employed. Here, synthesis of mixed-metal alkoxides has been a focus of investigators.40-42 A key point is to restrict the amount of water and to control how it is added to form solubalizable precursor species, rather than to induce precipitation.1,52,69,70... 

In some instances, this approach has proven successful, with comparatively low crystallization temperatures being observed. For example, Eichorst and Payne in the synthesis of LiNb03 noted crystallization temperatures of 400-500 °C for a mixed-metal alkoxide precursor.111 In other instances, these attempts have proven less successful. Numerous attempts have been made to synthesize Pb-Zr and Pb-Ti precursors, each with the 1 1 cation stoichiometry of the desired PbZr03 and PbTi03 compounds.83,84 Unfortunately, 1 1 stoichiometric ratio compounds have not always been obtained, with crystalline compounds of other stoichiometries precipitating from the solution, as illustrated in Fig. 2.11.83 This figure shows the crystal structure of PbTi2[p(4)—... 

Silica-based monolithic columns (Figure 9) are generally prepared using sol-gel technology. This involves the preparation of a sol solution and the gelation of the sol to form a network in a continuous liquid phase within the capillary. The precursors for the synthesis of these monoliths are normally metal alkoxides that react readily with water. The most widely used are alkoxysilanes such as tetramethoxysilane (TMOS) and TEOS. 

Another challenge faced by sol-gel technologies involves controUing the dispersion of different metals within a mixed metal (e.g., sihcon and titanium) matrix. The solvolysis and condensation steps for metal alkoxide precursors involved in sol-gel reactions can be quite different from that of orthosilicates, which often leads to the loss of dispersion and formation of separate silica and other metal oxide domains [54]. 

Application of metal salts and well-defined metal complexes in ROP has enabled the exploitation of a three-step coordination-insertion mechanism, first formulated in 1971 by Dittrich and Schulz [17]. This proceeds through coordination of lactide by the carbonyl oxygen to the Lewis acidic metal center, leading to the initiation and subsequent propagation by a metal alkoxide species. This species can be either isolated or generated in situ by addition of an alcohol to a suitable metal precursor to result in the formation of a new chain-extended metal alkoxide, as shown in Scheme 3 [16]. 

Because of the sequential nature of ALD, metal and nonmetal precursors are typically separated from each other. The possibility of selecting oxidising or reducing precursors in conventional ALD processes makes it possible to control the reactivity and reactions of the metal precursor. A special case is that of metal alkoxides, which have sometimes been used as oxygen... 

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