Facile Deposition of Zirconia Optical Films Based on the Solvothermal Treatment of Zirconyl Nitrate-Water-Methanol System

Abstract:

Zirconia optical films have been facilely deposited based on a modified sol-gel route, which involved solvothermal-treating a mixture of zirconyl nitrate, water, and methanol at 80 °C to produce zirconia-based sols, spin-coating the sols on K9 glass substrates, and then calcining the films at moderate temperatures. The experiments show that, at the proper volume ratio of methanol to water V_M/V_W (from 40/35 to 70/5), the high deprotonation-condensation reaction rate of the precursor zirconium salt, along with the moderate critical supersaturation level of the reaction medium, give rise to stable and uniform sols comprising particles with mean hydrodynamic diameter of 10-40 nm. This enables rapid deposition of zirconia-based films with a comparatively high refractive index of 1.62 (at 1064 nm). After calcination at 400 °C, the purification and crystallization of film material endow the film with a high refractive index of 1.91 (at 1064 nm).

• Periodical: Applied Mechanics and Materials (Volumes 217-219)
• Pages: 1033-1037
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMM.217-219.1033
• Online since: November 2012
• Authors: Li Ping Liang, Cai Xia Su
• Keywords: Optical Films, Sol-Gel (SG), Solvothermal Treatment, Zirconia

References

[1] D. Zhang, P. Fan, X. Cai, G. Liang, J. Shao, C. Wang, D. Zhang and Z. Fan: Solid State Commun. Vol. 148 (2008), p.22

[2] G. Balakrishnan, T.N. Sairam, P. Kuppusami, R. Thiumurugesan, E. Mohandas, V. Ganesan and D. Sastikumar: Appl. Surf. Sci. Vol. 257 (2011), p.8506

DOI: 10.1016/j.apsusc.2011.05.003

[3] A. Thaveedeetrakul, N. Witit-anun and V. Boonamnuayvitaya: Appl. Surf. Sci. Vol. 258 (2012), p.2612

[4] P. Belleville, P. Prené, C. Bonnin, L. Beaurain, Y. Montouillout and É. Lavastre: Proc. SPIE Vol. 5250 (2004), p.196

[5] K. Luo, S. Zhou and L. Wu: Thin Solid Films Vol. 517 (2009), p.5974

[6] L. Liang, Y. Xu, L. Zhang, D. Wu and Y. Sun: J. Opt. Soc. Am. B Vol. 24 (2007), p.1066

[7] L. Liang, Y. Xu, L. Zhang, D. Wu and Y. Sun: J. Sol-gel Sci. Technol. Vol. 47 (2008), p.173

[8] W. Li, H. Huang, H. Li, W. Zhang and H. Liu: Langmuir Vol. 24 (2008), p.8358

[9] Y.Q. Song, C.L. Kang, Y.L. Feng, F. Liu, X.L. Zhou, J.A. Wang and L.Y. Xu: Catal. Today Vol. 148 (2009), p.63

[10] X. Liu, I. Pappas, M. Fitzgerald, M. Eibling and L. Pan: Mater. Lett. Vol. 64 (2010), p.1591

[11] R. Swanepoel: J. Phys. E Vol. 16 (1983), p.1214