Temperature evolution of pore structure in ferroelectric PZT films prepared by molecular self-assembly

Porous lead zirconate titanate (PZT) films have the potential to be utilized in a variety of electronic applications. The combination of sol–gel techniques with molecular self-assembly facilitates the formation of porous films with a uniform distribution of nanometer-sized pores. The study of the pore structure of PZT films annealed at temperatures ranging from [Formula: see text]C to [Formula: see text]C using ellipsometric porosimetry (EP) has revealed that the process of crystallization plays a crucial role in determining the pore structure. The pore size in PZT films exhibits a rapid increase of approximately one order of magnitude upon heat treatment at [Formula: see text]C, which can be attributed to structural rearrangement during crystallization. This phenomenon differs from the one observed in porous organosilica films prepared through a similar self-assembly process, where crystallization does not occur and the pore size is not significantly dependent on the heat treatment temperature.