The formation mechanism of cobalt silicide on silica from Co(SiCl3)(CO)4 by in situ Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy.

Silica supported CoSi particles were synthesized by metal organic chemical vapor deposition of the Co(SiCl(3))(CO)(4) precursor carried in hydrogen at atmospheric pressure and moderate temperature in a fluidized bed reactor. In contrast, CoCl(2) supported on silica was formed by using argon as the carrier gas. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric/differential thermogravimetric analysis. The precursor Co(SiCl(3))(CO)(4) reacted with the hydroxyl groups of amorphous silica via loss of HCl and introduced cobalt species onto the surface. The decomposition mechanism of the supported precursor on silica was investigated by in situ Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy from room temperature to 300 °C in a hydrogen or argon atmosphere. The results showed that CO and HCl elimination occurred in a hydrogen atmosphere, while only CO elimination occurred in Ar. All of the results showed that it was possible to prepare supported CoSi at lower temperatures via changing the carrier gas.