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AssigneeAlliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC
InventorsScott R. Hammond, Matthew Reese, Benjamin Rupert, Alexander Miedaner, Calvin Curtis, Dana Olson, David S. Ginley
Estimating the term…
A method of synthesizing multilayer heterostructures including an inorganic oxide layer residing on a solid substrate is described. Exemplary embodiments include producing an inorganic oxide layer on a solid substrate by a liquid coating process under relatively mild conditions. The relatively mild conditions include temperatures below 225° C. and pressures above 9.4 mb. In an exemplary embodiment, a solution of diethyl aluminum ethoxide in anhydrous diglyme is applied to a flexible solid substrate by slot-die coating at ambient atmospheric pressure, and the diglyme removed by evaporation. An AlOx layer is formed by subjecting material remaining on the solid substrate to a relatively mild oven temperature of approximately 150° C. The resulting AlOx layer exhibits relatively high light transmittance and relatively low vapor transmission rates for water. An exemplary embodiment of a flexible solid substrate is polyethylene napthalate (PEN). The PEN is not substantially adversely affected by exposure to 150° C.
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Oxides, e.g. ceramics: metal oxides
Successively applying liquids or other fluent materials, e.g. without intermediate treatment: with intermediate treatment
By baking: after-treatment
To macromolecular substances, e.g. rubber: to surfaces of films or sheets
About 6 years 1 month of term left · ends 28 Nov 2032 (estimated)
High performance barriers to molecular oxygen (O2) and water are beneficial for some products or processes. For instance, organic and thin film photovoltaics (PV) and organic light emitting devices (OLED) require encapsulation by barriers that are highly resistant to transmission of O2 and water. For PV and OLED applications, barriers must also permit transmittance of relatively high proportions of visible light, in addition to exhibiting relatively high resistance to O2 and water transmission.
Heterostructures comprising layers of metal oxides deposited on substrates show promise as high performance O2 and water barriers. However, the metal oxide layers are typically deposited on the substrates by known low pressure deposition processes such as atomic layer deposition, chemical vapor deposition, and physical vapor deposition.
The known low pressure deposition processes typically require pressure below 1 millibar (mb) and usually below 1×10−3 mb, and also usually require relatively high temperatures that are incompatible with some polymers. The known low pressure deposition processes thus tend to be relatively expensive, slow, and incompatible with some organic polymers, which limits the utility of the low pressure deposition processes for some applications.
Exemplary embodiments are illustrated in referenced figures of the drawings. It is intended that the embodiments and figures disclosed herein are to be considered illustrative rather than limiting.
FIG. 1 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary embodiment of a method of making a multilayer heterostructure.
FIG. 2 is a schematic representation of an exemplary embodiment of a multilayer heterostructure.
Exemplary embodiments include multilayer heterostructures comprising two or more dissimilar layers. Embodiments of the two or more dissimilar layers comprise a metal oxide or silicon oxide (collectively referred to as inorganic oxide) layer deposited on a solid substrate by a liquid coating process under mild conditions. The solid substrate comprises a composition of matter in solid phase, and is typically, but not necessarily, a sheet or strip comprising an organic polymer. Examples of solid substrates include, but are not limited to, a solid phase material comprising an organic polymer, a polyethylene napthalate (PEN) web, a solid phase material comprising an inorganic oxide, an OLED or component thereof, or a PV device or component thereof. In some embodiments, a multilayer heterostructure is flexible at 20° C., being capable bending 90° around a curve having a radius of about 3.0 inches without apparent fracturing. Exemplary embodiments of solid substrates are flexible at 20° C., being capable of bending 90° around a curve having a radius of about 0.50 inch without apparent fracturing. Apparent fracturing is assessed by optical profilometry, optical microscopy, or scanning electron microscopy. Embodiments include examples where an organic polymer layer is applied to a solid substrate, followed by application of inorganic oxide.
The mild conditions include process pressures around ambient atmospheric pressure and temperatures around 150° C. Some embodiments of multilayer heterostructures comprise multiple inorganic oxide layers or multiple organic polymer layers. Embodiments including liquid coating processes under mild conditions enable relatively low cost, high throughput production of multilayer heterostructures exhibiting relatively high resistance to water vapor penetration. Water vapor and O2 permeability tend to correlate, and thus barriers exhibiting low water permeability also typically exhibit low O2 permeability.
Exemplary embodiments include a solution comprising an organometallic compound dissolved in a complexing solvent such as, but not limited to, diethylene glycol dimethyl ether (diglyme) or tetrahydrofuran (THF). Ethereal oxygens of the diglyme or THF typically stabilize the organometallic compound by forming a coordination complex with a reactive metal center of the organometallic compound.