Crystalline Cu–PbO ceramic composite thin films from Pb2(OAc)4(μ-O)3Cu6(dmae)4Cl4·(C7H8)·1.7(H2O)

Pb–Cu heterobimetallic precursor complex 1, Pb2(OAc)4(μ-O)3Cu6(dmae)4Cl4·(C7H8)·1.7(H2O) [dmae = N,N-dimethylaminoethanolate ((CH3)2NCH2CH2O¯), OAc = acetate (CH3COO¯)] was synthesized through a simple chemical route and crystallized in the monoclinic space group C2/c. The precursor was characterized by its melting point, elemental composition, FT-IR, MS and by X-ray single crystal structure determination. Thin films were deposited by aerosol assisted chemical vapor deposition on a glass substrate and characterized for adhesion, SEM/EDX and XRD. These studies reveal it to be a suitable precursor for the deposition of Cu–PbO ceramic composite thin films at a relatively low temperature of 450 °C.