Atomic layer deposition-derived ultra-low-density composite bulk materials with deterministic density and composition

A universal approach for on-demand development of monolithic metal oxide composite bulk materials with air-like densities (<5 mg/cm³) is reported. The materials are fabricated by atomic layer deposition of titania (TiO₂) or zinc oxide (ZnO) using the nanoscale architecture of 1 mg/cm³ SiO₂ aerogels formed by self-organization as a blueprint. This approach provides deterministic control over density and composition without affecting the nanoscale architecture of the composite material that is otherwise very difficult to achieve. We found that these materials provide laser-to-X-ray conversion efficiencies of up to 5.3%, which is the highest conversion efficiency yet obtained from any foam-based target, thus opening the door to a new generation of highly efficient laser-induced nanosecond scale multi-keV X-ray sources.