Dealloying of Platinum-Aluminum Thin Films: Dynamics of Pattern Formation

Henning Galinski, Thomas Ryll, Lukas Schlagenhauf, Felix Rechberger, Sun Ying, Ludwig J. Gauckler, Flavio C. F. Mornaghini, Yasmina Ries, Ralph Spolenak, and Max Döbeli
Phys. Rev. Lett. 107, 225503 – Published 21 November 2011

Abstract

The application of focused ion beam (FIB) nanotomography and Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy (RBS) to dealloyed platinum-aluminum thin films allows for an in-depth analysis of the dominating physical mechanisms of nanoporosity formation during the dealloying process. The porosity formation due to the dissolution of the less noble aluminum in the alloy is treated as result of a reaction-diffusion system. The RBS and FIB analysis yields that the porosity evolution has to be regarded as superposition of two independent processes, a linearly propagating diffusion front with a uniform speed and a slower dissolution process in regions which have already been passed by the diffusion front. The experimentally observed front evolution is captured by the Fisher-Kolmogorov-Petrovskii-Piskounov (FKPP). The slower dissolution is represented by a zero-order rate law which causes a gradual porosity in the thin film.

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  • Received 3 May 2011

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.107.225503

© 2011 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

Henning Galinski*, Thomas Ryll, Lukas Schlagenhauf, Felix Rechberger, Sun Ying, and Ludwig J. Gauckler

  • Nonmetallic Inorganic Materials, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland

Flavio C. F. Mornaghini, Yasmina Ries, and Ralph Spolenak

  • Laboratory for Nanometallurgy, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland

Max Döbeli

  • Ion Beam Physics, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland

  • *henning.galinski@mat.ethz.ch

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Vol. 107, Iss. 22 — 25 November 2011

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