The Open-Access Journal for the Basic Principles of Diffusion Theory, Experiment and Application

Diffusion Studies in Al₂O₃/ZnO Cylindrical Hybrid
Nanostructures

G. Vecsei, L. Juhász, G. Jáger, Z. Erdélyi, C. Cserháti

Department of Solid State Physics, Faculty of Sciences and Technology, University of Debrecen, P.O. Box 400, H-4002 Debrecen, Hungary

Corresponding author: Gergő Vecsei, Department of Solid State Physics, Faculty of Sciences and Technology, University of Debrecen, P.O. Box 400, H-4002 Debrecen, Hungary, e-mail: gergo vecsei@gmail.com

Reaction diffusion has been studied in Al₂O₃/ZnO system in cylindrical geometry on the nanometric scale. Suppose that the sample geometry is closed cylindrical or spherical, the stress free strain fields which are developing during the solid state reaction-diffusion process, will not relax easily. The relaxation will certainly depend on the shape and size of the sample and for example a radius dependence of the processes are also expected. In order to study that, metal oxide layers were deposited by Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) method on Pt nano-column templates built by Gas Injection System in Dual Beam Equipment. We studied how the inner radius of the cylindrical template influences the solid state reaction. In order to do this, samples were annealed for different periods. The reaction product has been identified by X-ray diffraction measurements as ZnAl₂O₄ gahnite phase. The kinetics as well as the radius dependence of the intermetallic phase growth was followed by Scanning, Scanning Transmission as well as Transmission Electron Microscopy.

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