Manganese(II) Molecular Sources for Plasma-Assisted CVD of Mn Oxides and Fluorides: From Precursors to Growth Process

A viable route to manganese-based materials of high technological interest is plasma-assisted chemical vapor deposition (PA-CVD), offering various degrees of freedom for the growth of high-purity nanostructures from suitable precursors. In this regard, fluorinated β-diketonate diamine Mn­(II) complexes of general formula Mn­(dik)₂·TMEDA [TMEDA = N,N,N′,N′-tetramethyl­ethylenediamine; Hdik = 1,1,1,5,5,5-hexafluoro-2,4-pentanedione (Hhfa), or 1,1,1-trifluoro-2,4-pentanedione (Htfa)] represent a valuable option in the quest of candidate molecular sources for PA-CVD environments. In this work, we investigate and highlight the chemico-physical properties of these compounds of importance for their use in PA-CVD processes, through the use of a comprehensive experimental–theoretical investigation. Preliminary PA-CVD validation shows the possibility of varying the Mn oxidation state, as well as the system chemical composition from MnF₂ to MnO₂, by simple modulations of the reaction atmosphere, paving the way to a successful utilization of the target compounds in the growth of manganese-containing nanomaterials for different technological applications.