Mårten Rooth

Self-Supported Three-Dimensional Nanoelectrodes for Microbattery Applications

A nanostructured three-dimensional (3D) microbattery has been produced and cycled in a Li-ion battery. It consists of a current collector of aluminum nanorods, a uniform layer of 17 nm TiO(2) covering the nanorods made using ALD, an electrolyte and metallic lithium counter electrode. The battery is electrochemically cycled more than 50 times. The increase in total capacity is 10 times when using a 3D architecture compared to a 2D system for the same footprint area.

In Vitro Bioactivity of Atomic Layer Deposited Titanium Dioxide on Titanium and Silicon Substrates

A non-bioactive implant device can easily be changed to in vitro bioactive with a thin coating of crystalline TiO2. This crystalline coating can be deposited very thin with great step coverage at a low temperature with Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD). An anatase TiO2 coating was built up atomic layer by atomic layer using TiI4 and H2O as precursors in a hot wall furnace. Several hundreds of cycles resulted in a 10-30nm well defined TiO2 of anatase phase on both Si and Ti substrates. These coatings were shown to be bioactive when immersed in simulated body fluid in vitro, as hydroxyapatite (HA) formed on the surface. The surface roughness of the substrates affected the adhesion of the HA. The adhesion was low on the smooth Si but much better on the 100 times rougher Ti. The ALD technique is promising for coating substrates of all shapes with bioactive crystalline TiO2 at a low temperature.

Experimental investigation of the electrical properties of atomic layer deposited hafnium-rich silicate films on n-type silicon

This work examines the structural and electrical properties of HfSixOy film based metal-insulator-semiconductor capacitors by means of x-ray diffraction, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, capacitance-voltage (C-V), deep level transient spectroscopy, and conductance transient (G-t) techniques. Hafnium-rich silicate films were atomic layer deposited onto HF-etched or SiO2 covered silicon. Although as-deposited samples exhibit high interfacial state and disorder-induced gap state densities, a postdeposition thermal annealing in vacuum under N2 flow for 1min at temperatures between 600 and 730°C clearly improves the interface quality. Marked crystallization and phase separation occurred at 800°C, increasing the structural heterogeneity and defect density in the dielectric oxide layers.

Template-based multiwalled TiO2/iron oxides nanotubes: Structure and magnetic properties

Double- and triple-walled TiO2/iron oxide nanotubes with well defined interfaces have been produced in nanoporous alumina templates using atomic layer deposition method. The structural properties of each individual layer are found to be dependent on the deposition temperatures. The outer layers of TiO2 are polycrystalline and consist of a phase mixture of anatase and rutile, while the inner TiO2 layers grown at lower temperature are amorphous. The iron oxide layers consist of pure hematite when deposited at 500 °C, while a phase mixture of hematite and magnetite was obtained at 400 °C. The magnetization measurements reveal that the studied nanotubes exhibit weak ferromagnetic behavior and magnetic anisotropy with an easy axis perpendicular to the tube axis.

Production and Characterization of Aluminium Oxide Nanoshells on Spray Dried Lactose

Atomic layer deposition (ALD) enables deposition of dense nanometer thick metal oxide nanoshells on powder particles with precise thickness control. This leads to products with low weight fraction coating, also when depositing on nano- or micron sized powder particles. This study aimed at investigating the aluminium oxide nanoshell thickness required to prevent moisture sorption. The nanoshells were produced with ALD on spray-dried lactose, which is amorphous and extremely hygroscopic. The particles were studied with dynamic vapor sorption between 0 and 50% RH, light scattering, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry, and polarized light microscopy. The ALD did not induce any recrystallization of the amorphous lactose. The dynamic vapor sorption indicated that the moisture sorption was almost completely inhibited by the nanoshell. Neat amorphous lactose rapidly recrystallized upon moisture exposure. However, only ca. 15% of the amorphous lactose particles recrystallized of a sample with 9% (by weight) aluminium oxide nanoshell at storage for six months upon 75% RH/40°C, which indicate that the moisture sorption was completely inhibited in the majority of the particles. In conclusion, the aluminium oxide nanoshells prevented moisture sorption and dramatically improved the long term physical stability of amorphous lactose. This shows the potential of the ALD-technique to protect drug microparticles.