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Hutchison, Danielle C.

Publications and source records attributed to Hutchison, Danielle C..

Synthesis of Single Crystal Li 2 NpO 4 and Li 4 NpO 5 from Aqueous Lithium Hydroxide Solutions under Mild Hydrothermal Conditions

The ternary oxides, Li 2 NpO 4 and Li 4 NpO 5 , were synthesized under mild hydrothermal conditions using concentrated LiOH solutions containing NpO 2 (NO 3 )( 2 ). The reactions resulted in the formation of single crystals of both compounds, enabling the determination of their single crystal structures for the first time. Further, exploration of the synthetic phase space demonstrates that the resulting neptunate phases are dependent on the concentration of LiOH, transitioning from Li 2 NpO 4 , containing a typical octahedral neptunyl geometry with two shorter Np≡O bonds, at lower LiOH concentrations to Li 4 NpO 5 with two long and four short Np-O bonds under saturated solution conditions. Reactions exploring the same synthetic conditions are also reported for uranyl(VI) for comparison. Raman spectra of the compounds were collected and analyzed to evaluate the Np-O bonding in these compounds.

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Butyltin Keggin Ion with a Rare Four-Coordinate Ca Center

Alkyltin clusters are exploited in nanolithography for the fabrication of microelectronics. The alkyltin Keggin family is unique among Keggin clusters across the periodic table; its members appear to favor the lower-symmetry β and γ isomers rather than the highly symmetrical α and ε isomers. Therefore, the alkyltin Keggin family may provide important fundamental information about the formation and isomerization of Keggin clusters. In this study, we have synthesized and structurally characterized a new butyltin Keggin cluster with a tetrahedral Ca 2+ center, fully formulated [(BuSn) 12 (CaO 4 )(OCH 3 ) 12 (O) 4 (OH) 8 ] 2+ (β-CaSn 12 ). The synthesis is a simple one-step process. Extensive solution characterization including electrospray ionization mass spectrometry, small-angle X-ray scattering, and multinuclear ( 1 H, 13 C, and 119 Sn) nuclear magnetic resonance shows β-CaSn 12 is essentially phase-pure and stable. This differs from the previously reported Na-centered analogues that always form a mixture of β and γ isomers, with facile interconversion. Therefore, this study has clarified prior confusion over complex spectroscopic and crystallographic characterization of the Na-centered analogues. Density functional theory calculations showed the following stability order: γ-CaSn 12 < γ-NaSn 12 < β-CaSn 12 < β-NaSn 12 . The β analogue is always more stable than the γ analogue, consistent with experiment. Notable outcomes of this study include a rare tetrahedral Ca coordination, a Na-free alkyltin cluster (important for microelectronics manufacturing), and a better understanding of Keggin families built of different metal cations.

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Ambient-Pressure X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy Characterization of Radiation-Induced Chemistries of Organotin Clusters

Advances in extreme ultraviolet (EUV) photolithography require the development of next-generation resists that allow high-volume nanomanufacturing with a single nanometer patterning resolution. Organotin-based photoresists have demonstrated nanopatterning with high resolution, high sensitivity, and low-line edge roughness. However, very little is known regarding the detailed reaction mechanisms that lead to radiation-induced solubility transitions. In this study, we investigate the interaction of soft X-ray radiation with organotin clusters to better understand radiation-induced chemistries associated with EUV lithography. Butyltin Keggin clusters (β-NaSn13) were used as a model organotin photoresist, and characterization was performed using ambient-pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The changes in relative atomic concentrations and associated chemical states in β-NaSn 13 resists were evaluated after exposure to radiation for a range of ambient conditions and photon energies. A significant reduction in the C 1s signal versus exposure time was observed, which corresponds to the radiation-induced homolytic cleavage of the butyltin bond in the β-NaSn 13 clusters. To improve the resist sensitivity, we evaluated the effect of oxygen partial pressure during radiation exposures. Here, we found that both photon energy and oxygen partial pressure had a strong influence on the butyl group desorption rate. These studies advance the understanding of radiation-induced processes in β-NaSn 13 photoresists and provide mechanistic insights for EUV photolithography.

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Alkyltin clusters: the less symmetric Keggin isomers

The Keggin structure is prevalent in nature and synthesis, self-assembled from many metals across the periodic table as both isolated clusters and building blocks of condensed framework oxides. Here we present a one-step synthesis to obtain the sodium-centered butyltin Keggin ion in high yield and high purity, important for mechanistic nanolithography studies. Extensive solution characterization (small-angle X-ray scattering, 1 H, 13 C and 119 Sn nuclear magnetic resonance, electrospray mass spectrometry) also confirms solutions contain only the Na-centered dodecamers. We report three butyltin Keggin structures: the β-isomer (β-NaSn 12 ), the γ-isomer (γ-NaSn 12 ), and a γ-isomer capped with an additional butyltin (γ-NaSn 13 ). All Keggin ions presented here have the general formula [NaO 4 BuSn 12 (OCH 3 ) 12 (O,OH) 12 ] (Bu = butyl), and are of neutral charge. The lack of counterions (OH – ) facilitates mechanistic lithographic studies without inference from hydrolysis chemistry. The methanol reaction media enables solubility and ligates the cluster, both important to obtain high purity materials. Despite the monospecific nature of the NaSn 12 solutions, NMR reveals both isomer interconversion and ligand exchange. DFT computational comparisons of our three isolated structures, the capped β-isomer (β-NaSn 13 ), along with hypothetical α-isomers (α-NaSn 12 and α-NaSn 13 ), showed that the stability ranks β-NaSn 12 > γ-NaSn 12 > α-NaSn 12 , consistent with experimental observation. The uncapped isomers were computationally determined to be more stable than the respective capped analogues. These clusters provide a unique opportunity to investigate the lower-symmetry Keggin isomers, and to determine structural factors that control isomer selectivity as well as isomer labilization.

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