Synthesis and characterization of HiPIMS-deposited Zr–O–N films for potential water splitting applications

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F49777513%3A23520%2F25%3A43976175" target="_blank" >RIV/49777513:23520/25:43976175 - isvavai.cz</a>

Result on the web

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DOI - Digital Object Identifier

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Result language

angličtina

Original language name

Synthesis and characterization of HiPIMS-deposited Zr–O–N films for potential water splitting applications

Original language description

Zirconium oxynitride (Zr–O–N) films are renowned for their wear and corrosion resistance, temperature sensing capabilities, and optical properties. Furthermore, these semiconductor materials demonstrate significant potential for water splitting applications, which are essential for sustainable hydrogen production. Recent studies have identified Zr₂ON₂ as one of the promising candidates for photoanodes due to its favorable band gap for efficient visible light absorption. However, the synthesis of these oxynitrides remains underexplored, primarily due to the challenges associated with incorporating nitrogen into their structure.In this work, we use the benefits of reactive high-power impulse magnetron sputtering (HiPIMS) to prepare Zr–O–N films across a wide composition range. Reactive HiPIMS is a progressive physical vapor deposition technique that achieves the significant ionization of sputtered species and the substantial dissociation and ionization of reactive gas species within the high-density discharge plasma near the target. This enables the synthesis of the Zr–O–N films with high crystallinity at low substrate temperatures while allowing precise tailoring oxygen and nitrogen content. Specifically, the films were deposited on Si and glass substrates at varying oxygen and nitrogen gas flow rates by sputtering a single Zr target. The substrates were unheated or ohmically heated to 500 °C. Following depositions, the films were thoroughly analyzed by several analytical techniques such as wavelength-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and spectrophotometry.The analyses of the elemental composition and the crystal structure revealed a continuous increase in nitrogen content, which is accompanied by the evolution of the structure from ZrO₂ through Zr₂ON₂ to ZrN as the nitrogen-to-oxygen ratio increases. This compositional and structural variation facilitates the tuning of material properties such as the electrical conductivity and bandgap width. These properties are essential for effective visible light absorption while maintaining proper alignment of the bandgap with respect to water splitting reactions. The bandgap energies were accurately determined using Tauc analysis demonstrating how variations in deposition parameters influence the electronic structure of the Zr–O–N films. The role of substrate temperature as well as the effects of post-annealing on the crystallization of the films will be also presented in detail.

Czech name

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Czech description

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Type

O - Miscellaneous

CEP classification

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OECD FORD branch

20506 - Coating and films

Project

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Continuities

S - Specificky vyzkum na vysokych skolach

Publication year

2025

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů