SYNTHESIS AND SIZE CONTROL OF THIN FILMS OF THE PRUSSIAN BLUE ANALOGUE POTASSIUM NICKEL HEXACYANOCHROMATE VIA SEQUENTIAL ABSORPTION

Khushboo Sinha¹ and Daniel R. Talham

Department of Chemistry, University of Florida, Gainesville FL 32611, USA

Prussian Blue Analogues (PBA) are widely studied for their well-known magnetic properties which can be switched with various external stimuli such as light, pressure or with size. The current project focuses on the synthesis of KNi[Cr(CN)₆] thin films prepared using sequential absorption techniques. Smooth films of sub nano meter thickness were achieved by optimizing the deposition parameters such as solvent system, number of deposition cycles, rinse time and the concentration of precursor solutions. The morphology of these films was studied using AFM imaging which shows uniform coverage of the KNi[Cr(CN)₆] film over the glass substrate. The syntheses, AFM images, XPS analysis, ATR-IR and magnetic measurements of these KNi[Cr(CN)₆] magnetic thin films will be presented.