Formation of Uniform SnO2 Coating Layer on Carbon Nanofiber by Pretreatment in Atomic Layer Deposition

Carbon nanofibers (CNF) are widely used as active agents for electrodes in Li-ion secondary battery cells, supercapacitors, and fuel cells. Nanoscale coatings on CNF electrodes can increase the output and lifespan of battery devices. Atomic layer deposition (ALD) can control the coating thickness at the nanoscale regardless of the shape, suitable for coating CNFs. However, because the CNF surface comprises stable C-C bonds, initiating homogeneous nuclear formation is difficult because of the lack of initial nucleation sites. This study introduces uniform nucleation site formation on CNF surfaces to promote a uniform $SnO_2$ layer. We pretreat the CNF surface by introducing $H_2O$ or $Al_2O_3$ (trimethylaluminum + $H_2O$) before the $SnO_2$ ALD process to form active sites on the CNF surface. Transmission electron microscopy and energy-dispersive spectroscopy both identify the $SnO_2$ layer morphology on the CNF. The $Al_2O_3$-pretreated sample shows a uniform $SnO_2$ layer, while island-type $SnO_x$ layers grow sparsely on the $H_2O$-pretreated or untreated CNF.

전처리를 이용한 탄소 나노 섬유의 균일한 SnO2 코팅막 형성