Lithium lanthanum zirconate thin films

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11807944-B2
Application number	US-202217685923-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 3, 2022
Priority date	Oct 31, 2018
Publication date	Nov 7, 2023
Grant date	Nov 7, 2023

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;
heating an aqueous mixture comprising a lithium salt and a lanthanum salt to yield a molten salt mixture;
contacting the zirconium oxide coating with the 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 contacting the substrate with the molten salt mixture comprises immersing the substrate in the molten salt mixture.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the aqueous mixture further comprises a zirconium salt.

4. 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.

5. The method of claim 4 , 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.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein disposing the zirconium oxide on the substrate comprises disposing zirconium oxide nanoparticles on the substrate.

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising preparing the zirconium oxide nanoparticles by a sol-gel precipitation reaction comprising zirconium butoxide.

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

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the aqueous mixture is homogeneous.

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

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

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the aqueous mixture further comprises a zirconium salt.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the zirconium salt comprises a nitrate salt.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the molten salt mixture comprises one or more metal dopants.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the metal dopants comprise salt precursors, oxidic precursors, or any combination thereof.

16. The method of claim 14 , wherein the metal dopants comprise aluminum, gallium, tantalum, or any combination thereof.

17. The method of claim 1 , wherein the molten salt mixture comprises halide, carbonate, nitrate, peroxide, or hydroxide salts, or any combination thereof.

18. The method of claim 1 , wherein reacting the molten salt mixture with the zirconium oxide coating to yield the lithium lanthanum zirconate occurs at a temperature in a range of 400° C. to 800° C.

Assignees

• Chan Candace
• Weller Jon Mark
• Univ Arizona State

Inventors

• Chan Candace
• Weller Jon Mark

Classifications

• C23C22/70 Primary

  using melts · CPC title

• C23C16/405 Primary

  of refractory metals or yttrium · CPC title

• C23C16/45555

  applied in non-semiconductor technology · CPC title

• C23C18/1216

  Metal oxides (C23C18/1212 takes precedence) · CPC title

• C23C18/1295

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