Hybrid organic-inorganic coatings for vapor phase capture and conversion

Functional nanometer thin-film coatings form an integral part of new nanostructured electrodes for electrochemical storage and conversion, for example, as artificial interphase coatings, solid-like ionic conductors and for reagent adsorption and temporary reservoirs. Often, meso- and micro-porosity are desired for mechanical (e.g. breathing), surface adsorption and access to the underlying electrode. Both wet-chemical and vapor-chemical methods are available to make mesoporous thin-films. In this thesis, Molecular Layer Deposition (MLD) and Electrochemical Induced precipitation (EIP) will be investigated. Both approaches will be explored to fabricate solid-electrolyte thin-film coatings for next generation aqueous and vapor-fed electrolyzers for hydrogen production but also for CO2 reduction to valuable chemicals. MLD is a surface limited technique ideally suited for the fabrication of conformal metalcone thin-film coatings. Metalcones are hybrid inorganic-organic nanocomposite materials which typically can be made mesoporous by extraction of the organic (alcohol) fraction from the inorganic (metal oxide) matrix. With EIP, mesoporous thin-films with ordered pore structure can be fabricated by precipitation of e.g. an oxide in the presence of micelles. In a next step, the mesoporous oxide can be functionalized towards the desired membrane properties.