Novel catalysts: Indium implanted SiO2 thin films

Interactions of Indium (In) and silicon (Si) atoms are known to catalyze certain organic chemical reactions with high efficiency. In an attempt of creating a material that manifests the interactions, In implanted SiO2 thin films were prepared by ion beam injection and their catalytic abilities for organic chemical reactions were examined. It has been found that, with an injection energy of approximately 0.5 keV, a thin In film is formed on a SiO2 substrate surface and the In implanted SiO2 thin film can catalyze an organic chemical reaction. It has been also shown that there is an optimal ion dose for the highest catalytic ability in the film preparation process. Thin-film-type catalyzing materials such as the one proposed here may open a new way to enhance surface chemical reaction rates.