Determination of elastic properties of a MnO2 coating by surface acoustic wave velocity dispersion analysis

MnO2 is a material of interest in the development of high energy-density batteries, specifically as a coating material for internal 3D structures, thus ensuring rapid energy deployment. Its electrochemical properties have been mapped extensively, but there are, to the best of the authors' knowledge, no records of the elastic properties of thin film MnO2. Impulsive stimulated thermal scattering (ISTS), also known as the heterodyne diffraction or transient grating technique, was used to determine the Young's modulus (E) and porosity (ψ) of a 500 nm thick MnO2 coating on a Si(001) substrate. ISTS is an all optical method that is able to excite and detect surface acoustic waves (SAWs) on opaque samples. From the measured SAW velocity dispersion, the Young's modulus and porosity were determined to be E = 25 ± 1 GPa and ψ=42±1%, respectively. These values were confirmed by independent techniques and determined by a most-squares analysis of the carefully fitted SAW velocity dispersion. This study demonstrates th...