Atomic Layer Deposition of UV-Absorbing ZnO Films on SiO2 and TiO2 Nanoparticles Using a Fluidized Bed Reactor

Atomic layer deposition (ALD) was used to apply conformal, nanothick ZnO coatings on particle substrates using a fluidized bed reactor. Diethylzinc (DEZ) and water were used as precursors at 177 °C. Observed growth rates were ca. 2.0 Å/cycle on primary particles as verified by HRTEM. ICP‐AES and XPS were used to quantify Zn:substrate ratios. Layers of 6, 18, and 30 nm were deposited on 550 nm SiO2 spheres for UV blocking cosmetics particles. TiO2 nanoparticles were coated in the second part of this work by ZnO shells of 2, 5, and 10 nm thickness as novel inorganic sunscreen particles. The specific surface area of powders changed appropriately after nanothick film deposition using optimized conditions, signifying that high SA particles can be functionalized without agglomeration. The ZnO layers were polycrystalline as deposited and narrowing of the FWHM occurred upon annealing. Annealing the ZnO‐TiO2 nanocomposite powder to 600 °C caused the formation of zinc titanate (Zn2TiO4) in both oxygen‐rich and oxygen‐deficient environments. The non‐ideal surface behavior of the DEZ precursor became problematic for the much longer times required for high surface area nanoparticle processing and results in Zn‐rich films at this growth temperature. In situ mass spectrometry provides process control capability to functionalize bulk quantities of nano‐ and ultrafine particles without significant precursor waste or process overruns. ZnO overlayers can be efficiently deposited on the surfaces of primary particles using ALD processing in a scalable fluidized bed reactor. Atomic layer deposition (ALD) of UV‐absorbing ZnO on particles was performed in a fluidized bed reactor. Films were successfully deposited on bulk quantities of primary nanoparticles, ZnO particle ALD can functionalize particles to fabricate novel sunblocking composite materials.