Making and Measuring a New Ternary Metal Nitride

What is it about?

Nitrides are critical materials both as protective coatings and in microelectronics. We show how to fabricate a new nitride material made of Pt, Zr, and N. These materials are produced as thin films. This paper highlights that their mechanical, electrical, and optical properties strongly depend on the Pt content and tie the atomic structure to these physical properties. It also shows how this Pt-Zr-N material destabilizes upon heating to allow the formation of Pt nanoparticles. These findings have implications for catalysis and the design of mechanically tailored thin films.

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Photo by Laura Ockel on Unsplash

Photo by Laura Ockel on Unsplash

Why is it important?

This work helps to fill out our understanding of ternary metal nitride design (nitride materials with two different metal atoms) which is critical for pushing microscale technologies and improving functionality of existing material coatings. By dissects the counterintuitive elements of Pt-Zr-N formation (like the incorporation of Pt onto the Zr site) and unexpected results (like the exsolution of Pt nanoparticles), it links basic materials physics to the resulting structure and properties of Zr-Pt-N materials. This work also shows these materials destabilize at elevated temperatures forming Pt nanoparticles which can be used for catalysis and for optical design. These findings emphasize the critical role of experimental validation and investigation to fully identify destabilizing factors that drive phase segregation and address the feasibility of ternary metal nitrides for functional applications.

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