The use of photolithography for metal interconnects below 0.2 μm continues to be unrivalled in resolution and precision as a fabrication technique in the microelectronic industry. Current photolithographic deposition of fine metal structures relies on the use of a photoresists. A photolithographic technique that deposits metallic copper after UV irradiation from a solution containing a copper complex has been envisioned as a suitable technique to avoid the use of a photoresist and to attain a more profitable process. In this study commercial complexes containing acetalycetone and hexafluoroacetlyacetone and synthesized copper complexes containing pyridine and catechol derivatives were tested and compared to improve the deposition efficiency of metallic copper by irradiation with UV light. Ab initio DFT was used to simulate the compounds structure, UV-Vis, IR spectrum and distribution of charge. Metallic copper has been successfully deposited and the irradiation time has been decreased, complete coverage of copper was achieved after 15 min of irradiation with UV-LED´s, using at least 50 times less concentration of copper complex than with commercial complexes. Copper complexes containing chloride and pyridine, and 4-tert-butyl catechol and pyridine showed the best deposition rates and higher quality of deposited material than β-diketonate complexes reported in literature.
The global warming fact has been calling for a change in our current energy infrastructure, which is based on fossil fuels. Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are one of our main tools that can serve our society for the desired transition from non-renewable energy sources to renewable ones, for instance, by opening the door of e-mobility with their high energy efficiency. However, the current state-of-art revealed that the electrode architecture has a crucial role in the obtained electrochemical performance of LIBs. In the traditional composite electrodes based on a physical admixture of components, particle-to-particle contact loss occurs between the electrochemically active metal oxide and conductive carbon additive, eventuate in poor electrochemical performance. On the other hand, hybrid electrode architecture provides nanoscopic chemical blending between the metal oxide and carbon, resulting in advanced electrochemical performance due to a continuous conductive network. However, the synthesis techniques for hybrid materials are limited to wet chemical synthesis. Therefore, the aim of this doctoral work is to explore novel synthesis approaches for the metal oxide/carbon hybrid materials and investigate their performances for LIBs with the comparison of their composite counterparts. For that purpose, this dissertation investigates the promising anode candidates for LIBs, namely, V2O3, Nb2O5, and Ti2Nb10O29, which were synthesized from their relatively cheap carbide sources via a new synthesis approach, chloroxidation or simple CO2 oxidation. The successfully-synthesized carbide-derived metal oxide/carbon hybrids displayed advanced rate handling abilities and cyclic stabilities compared to their counterparts.
