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Atomic-Scale Structure and Stability of the Low-Index Surfaces of Pyrochlore Oxides
The
multifunctional properties of complex ternary oxides such as
pyrochlores are often influenced by surface structure. Optimizing
the surface-driven attributes of these materials necessitates a detailed
understanding of the structure and chemical composition of those surfaces.
Here we report atomistic simulations elucidating the diverse atomic-scale
structures of a set of low-index surfaces [(100), (110), (111), and
(112)] in pyrochlore compounds as a function of both A and B cation
chemistry. In pyrochlores, the low-index facets are all dipolar, requiring
the introduction of surface defects to eliminate the surface dipole.
We find that, due to the corresponding higher coordination of the
surface cations, the (110) facet is the most energetically stable
in all of the compounds considered, an interesting contrast to fluorite,
in which the (111) surface is most stable. We also reveal a correlation
between the surface energy and the energy to disorder the pyrochlore
as a function of B cation chemistry, implying a similar physical origin
for the two phenomena. Further, we find that surface rumpling is common
across all pyrochlore compounds. An even more interesting feature
emerging at these surfaces is the formation of extended structural
defects such as steps and trenches, which are found to be stable after
high-temperature annealing. As the formation of these features is
a consequence of surface defects introduced to eliminate the surface
dipole, we propose that the superior surface properties of materials
of pyrochlores are due to these extended structural features, which
are a direct consequence of the inherent dipole at the surfaces