Insights into the decomposition of zirconium acetylacetonate using synchrotron radiation: Routes to the formation of volatile Zr-intermediates

Abstract The thermal decomposition of Zr(acac) 4 is studied in a SiC-microreactor on the micro-second time scale. By utilizing synchrotron radiation and photoelectron photoion coincidence spectroscopy, six important zirconium intermediates, as for instance Zr(C 5 H 7 O 2 ) (C 6 ), , are identified gas phase first time. adiabatic ionization thresholds intermediately formed species estimated main products their decomposition, acetylacetone, acetylallene acetone characterized unambiguously isomer-selectively. Based all detected we deduce predominant pyrolysis pathways precursor temperature range from 400 to 900 K. Our findings complemented by numerical simulations flow field microreactor, which show that choice dilution significantly influences profile residence times such helium provides more uniform than argon should preferentially be used. Graphical abstract Using soft method coupled velocity map imaging (VMI), leads valuable insights used synthesis functional nanomaterials ceramic coatings. Thanks use