Deposition of inorganic salts from solution on flat substrates by spin-coating: theory, quantification and application to model catalysts

The theory of spin-coating is applied to predict the amount of inorganic material that is deposited from a solution on a flat substrate on the basis of concentration, density, viscosity and evaporation rate of the solution and the spin speed applied during spin-coating. Measurements by Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS) and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) confirm the validity of the theory. Applications of the method in the preparation of model catalysts are discussed.