Microwave-Driven Crystallographic Alignment for Producing Metal (M) Thin Films with Highly-Oriented M(111) Surface.

ABSTRACT: Production of metal thin films exhibiting controlled crystallographic alignment is essential for catalysts, sensors, and substrates for the epitaxial growth of 2D materials (graphene, h-BN, metal chalcogenides, etc.). Conventional methods to produce aligned metal films necessitate specific substrates and high-temperature processing, which limits their applicability to thin films and accessible metal species. This study introduces microwave (MW) annealing as a novel technique to induce crystallographic alignment in Au thin films. MW-annealing enables effective out-of-plane alignment of the Au(111) facet within a few minutes at lower temperatures than thermal annealing, irrespective of the type of substrate and without concerns related to the thin film dewetting. The underlying mechanism of

SUBMITTER: Kim IS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12490192 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature