TY  - JOUR
AU  - Hufnagel, Alexander
AU  - Ann‐Kathrin Henß
AU  - Hoffmann, Ramona
AU  - Zeman, Otto
AU  - Häringer, Sebastian
AU  - Fattakhova-Rohlfing, Dina
AU  - Bein, Thomas
TI  - Electron‐Blocking and Oxygen Evolution Catalyst Layers by Plasma‐Enhanced Atomic Layer Deposition of Nickel Oxide
JO  - Advanced materials interfaces
VL  - 5
IS  - 16
SN  - 2196-7350
CY  - Weinheim
PB  - Wiley-VCH
M1  - FZJ-2018-03480
SP  - 1701531
PY  - 2018
AB  - A plasma‐enhanced atomic layer deposition (ALD) process is presented, capable of producing thin conformal films of nickel(II) oxide (NiO) on various substrates. Nickelocene (NiCp2) is used as an inexpensive metal precursor with oxygen plasma as the oxidant. The film growth rate saturates with both nickel precursor and plasma exposure. An ALD window is observed between 225 and 275 °C. Linear growth is achieved at 250 °C with a growth rate of 0.042 nm per cycle. The thickness is highly uniform and the surface roughness is below 1 nm rms for 52 nm thick films on Si(100). Substrates with aspect ratios up to 1:10 can be processed. As‐deposited, the films consist of polycrystalline, cubic NiO, and are transparent over the entire visible range with an optical bandgap of 3.7 eV. The films consist of stoichiometric NiO and contain ≈1% of carbon impurities. Two promising applications of these films are showcased in renewable energy conversion and storage devices: The films are pinhole‐free and exhibit excellent electron blocking capabilities, making them potential hole‐selective contact layers in solar cells. Also, high electrocatalytic activity of ultrathin NiO films is demonstrated for the alkaline oxygen evolution reaction, especially in electrolytes containing Fe3+.
LB  - PUB:(DE-HGF)16
UR  - <Go to ISI:>//WOS:000442489600001
DO  - DOI:10.1002/admi.201701531
UR  - https://juser.fz-juelich.de/record/848218
ER  -