FIB’n’SIMS – advanced depth analysis of hybrid organic-inorganic nanomaterials

The analysis and characterization of hybrid organic-inorganic metal oxide nanomaterials is of great interest nowadays, due to their vastly increased use in current applications ranging from solar energy conversion to catalysis or medical applications. Common to all, these hybrid materials are backboned by nanostructured metal oxides, which contain modifications like self-assembled monolayers or molecular (e.g., drug) loadings, leading to complex functional composite materials. While the chemical composition analysis or morphological studies of such structures can be performed superficially for example with time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) or scanning electron microscopy (SEM) respectively, a proper and efficient way for gathering depth information of such a composite material with appropriate resolution and measurement time is to be developed. Depth analysis by common sputtering techniques may lead to artefacts and destruction of molecular information during the analysis and, thereto, result in a loss of signal. To overcome these issues in 3D characterization of interlaced organic-inorganic nanostructures, this study presents the possibilities given by use of ToF-SIMS alone and in combination with cross-section-polishing (CSP) or focused-ion-beam (FIB) milling. A correlation in-between those methods is demonstrated on a model zirconium dioxide nanostructure-based material and on a complex model consisting of encapsulated dye sensitized solar cells based on titanium dioxide nanotubes.