Copper-containing nanoporous films

Nanoporous thin films doped with copper clusters exhibiting high crystallinity and porosity are prepared on silicon wafers and glass plates by spin coating. It is verified that the properties of the films, including surface roughness, adhesivity, porosity and thickness, are strongly determined by the stability of the colloidal nanoporous particles in the coating suspensions. Besides, the type of binding agents, conditions of spin pattering and annealing of the films have an influence on their porosity and optical properties. In addition, the microporosity/mesoporosity and chemical composition of the nanosized particles determine the unique properties of the films. The incorporation of metal clusters in zeolite films possessing high porosity is of immense importance for further applications, especially in the microscale sensing field.