Lithium lanthanum zirconate thin films

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11268196-B2
Application number	US-201916669767-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 31, 2019
Priority date	Oct 31, 2018
Publication date	Mar 8, 2022
Grant date	Mar 8, 2022

Abstract

Forming a lithium lanthanum zirconate thin film includes disposing zirconium oxide on a substrate to yield a zirconium oxide coating, contacting the zirconium oxide coating with a solution including a lithium salt and a lanthanum salt, heating the substrate to yield a dried salt coating on the zirconium oxide coating, melting the dried salt coating to yield a molten salt mixture, reacting the molten salt mixture with the zirconium oxide coating to yield lithium lanthanum zirconate, and cooling the lithium lanthanum zirconate to yield a lithium lanthanum zirconate coating on the substrate. In some cases, the zirconium oxide coating is contacted with an aqueous molten salt mixture including a lithium salt and a lanthanum salt, the molten salt mixture is reacted with the zirconium oxide coating to yield lithium lanthanum zirconate, and the lithium lanthanum zirconate is cooled to yield a lithium lanthanum zirconate coating on the substrate.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of coating a substrate, the method comprising:
disposing zirconium oxide on a substrate to yield a zirconium oxide coating on the substrate;
contacting the zirconium oxide coating with a solution comprising a lithium salt and a lanthanum salt;
heating the substrate to yield a dried salt coating on the zirconium oxide coating;
melting the dried salt coating to yield a molten salt mixture;
reacting the molten salt mixture with the zirconium oxide coating to yield lithium lanthanum zirconate; and
cooling the lithium lanthanum zirconate to yield a lithium lanthanum zirconate coating on the substrate.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein disposing zirconium oxide on the substrate comprises atomic layer deposition or plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition of zirconium oxide on the substrate.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein disposing the zirconium oxide on the substrate further comprises disposing additional zirconium oxide on the zirconium oxide coating with a chemical vapor deposition or sol-gel process.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein the zirconium oxide used to form the zirconium oxide coating is in the form of zirconium oxide nanoparticles.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the zirconium oxide coating is amorphous.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the solution is homogeneous.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the lithium salt comprises lithium nitrate.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the lanthanum salt comprises lanthanum nitrate.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the solution further comprises a zirconium salt.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the zirconium salt comprises a nitrate salt.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein contacting the solution with the zirconium oxide coating comprises spraying the solution on the zirconium oxide coating.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein contacting the solution with the zirconium oxide coating comprises drop casting the solution on the zirconium oxide coating.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein heating the substrate comprises removing liquid from the solution.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein melting the dried salt coating comprises heating the substrate to at least 400° C.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein contacting the solution with the zirconium oxide coating comprises wetting the zirconium oxide coating with the solution.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the substrate is planar.

17. The method of claim 1 , wherein the substrate comprises protrusions and recessions.

18. The method of claim 1 , wherein the lithium lanthanum zirconate coating is polycrystalline or nanocrystalline.

19. The method of claim 1 , wherein a thickness of the lithium lanthanum zirconate coating is in a range of 1 micron to 10 microns.

20. The method of claim 1 , wherein the solution comprises a polar solvent.

21. The method of claim 20 , wherein the polar solvent comprises water.

22. The method of claim 20 , wherein the polar solvent comprises an organic solvent.

23. The method of claim 22 , wherein the organic solvent comprises methanol.

Assignees

• Chan Candace
• Weller Jon Mark
• Univ Arizona State

Inventors

• Chan Candace
• Weller Jon Mark

Classifications

• C23C16/56

  After-treatment · CPC title

• C23C16/405 Primary

  of refractory metals or yttrium · CPC title

• C23C16/45555

  applied in non-semiconductor technology · CPC title

• C23C22/05

  using aqueous solutions · CPC title

• C23C18/1295

  with after-treatment of the deposited inorganic material · CPC title