High-throughput synthesis of thermoelectric Ca3_3Co4_4O9_9 films

Properties of complex oxide thin films can be tuned over a range of values as a function of mismatch, composition, orientation, and structure. Here, we report a strategy for growing structured epitaxial thermoelectric thin films leading to improved Seebeck coefficient. Instead of using single-crystal sapphire substrates to support epitaxial growth, Ca$_3$Co$_4$O$_9$ films are deposited, using the Pulsed Laser Deposition technique, onto Al$_2$O$_3$ polycrystalline substrates textured by Spark Plasma Sintering. The structural quality of the 2000 \AA thin film was investigated by Transmission Electron Microscopy, while the crystallographic orientation of the grains and the epitaxial relationships were determined by Electron Back Scatter Diffraction. The use of a polycrystalline ceramic template leads to structured films that are in good local epitaxial registry. The Seebeck coefficient is about 170 $\mu$V/K at 300 K, a typical value of misfit material with low carrier density. This high-throughput process, called combinatorial substrate epitaxy, appears to facilitate the rational tuning of functional oxide films, opening a route to the epitaxial synthesis of high quality complex oxides.Comment: Submitted to Applied Physics Letters (2013

Enhanced thermoelectric performance in spark plasma textured bulk n-type BiTe2.7Se0.3 and p-type Bi0.5Sb 1.5Te3

Bulk p and n-type bismuth tellurides were prepared using spark plasma texturization method. The texture development along the uniaxial load in the 001 direction is confirmed from both x-ray diffraction analysis and electron backscattering diffraction measurements. Interestingly, those textured samples outperform the samples prepared by conventional spark plasma sintering (SPS) leading to a reduced thermal conductivity in the ab-plane. The textured samples of n-type BiTe2.7Se0.3 and p-type Bi0.5Sb 1.5Te3 showed a 42% and 33% enhancement in figure of merit at room temperature, respectively, as compared to their SPS counterparts, opening the route for applications. © 2013 AIP Publishing LLC

BiFeO3/La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 heterostructures deposited on Spark Plasma Sintered LaAlO3 Substrates

Multiferroic BiFeO3 (BFO) / La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 heterostructured thin films were grown by pulsed laser deposition on polished spark plasma sintered LaAlO3 (LAO) polycrystalline substrates. Both polycrystalline LAO substrates and BFO films were locally characterized using electron backscattering diffraction (EBSD), which confirmed the high-quality local epitaxial growth on each substrate grain. Piezoforce microscopy was used to image and switch the piezo-domains, and the results are consistent with the relative orientation of the ferroelectric variants with the surface normal. This high-throughput synthesis process opens the routes towards wide survey of electronic properties as a function of crystalline orientation in complex oxide thin film synthesis.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures, Submitted to Applied Physics Letter

Growth and texture of Spark Plasma Sintered Al2O3 ceramics: a combined analysis of X-rays and Electron Back Scatter Diffraction

Textured alumina ceramics were obtained by Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS) of undoped commercial a-Al2O3 powders. Various parameters (density, grain growth, grain size distribution) of the alumina ceramics, sintered at two typical temperatures 1400{\deg}C and 1700{\deg}C, are investigated. Quantitative textural and structural analysis, carried out using a combination of Electron Back Scattering Diffraction (EBSD) and X-ray diffraction (XRD), are represented in the form of mapping, and pole figures. The mechanical properties of these textured alumina ceramics include high elastic modulus and hardness value with high anisotropic nature, opening the door for a large range of applicationsComment: 16 pages, 6 figures, submitted to J. Appl. Phy

One-Pot Synthesis of Highly Monodispersed Ferrite Nanocrystals: Surface Characterization and Magnetic Properties

In the present study, a facile one-pot synthetic route, utilizing a strong polar organic solvent, <i>N</i>-methyl 2-pyrrolidone (NMP), is demonstrated to obtain highly monodispersed ferrite nanocrystals. The equimolar mixture of oleic acid, C₁₇H₃₃COOH (R-COOH), and oleylamine, C₁₈H₃₅NH₂ (R′-NH₂), was used to coat the magnetic nanocrystals. Structural and magnetic properties of the ferrite nanocrystals were studied by a multitechnique approach including X-ray diffraction (XRD), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM), and Mössbauer spectroscopy. FTIR spectral analysis indicates oleylamine helps in deprotonation of oleic acid, resulting in the formation of an acid–base complex, R-COO^¯:NH₃⁺-R′, which acts as binary capping agent. Structural and coordination differences of iron were studied by XPS and Mössbauer spectral analysis. XPS analysis was carried out to examine the oxidation state of iron ions in iron oxide nanocrystals. The presence of a magnetically dead layer (∼0.38 and ∼0.67 nm) and a nonmagnetic organic coating (∼2.3 and ∼1.7 nm) may substantially reduce the saturation magnetization values for CoFe₂O₄ and Fe₃O₄ nanocrystals, respectively. The energy barrier distribution function of magnetic anisotropy was derived from the temperature dependent decay of magnetization. A very narrow energy barrier distribution elucidates that the ferrite nanocrystals obtained in this study are highly monodispersed

Erratum: “Enhanced thermoelectric performance in spark plasma textured bulk n -type Bi 2 Te 2.7 Se 0.3 and p-type Bi 0.5 Sb 1.5 Te 3 ” [Appl. Phys. Lett. 102, 211901 (2013)]

International audienceIn the article entitled “Enhanced thermoelectric performance in spark plasma textured bulk n-type Bi2Te2.7Se0.3 and p-type Bi0.5Sb1.5Te3,”1 the composition of the n-type compound was erroneous and should be read as “Bi2Te2.7Se0.3” instead of BiTe2.7Se0.3. These typos do not affect the conclusions of this work. The authors are grateful to M. Quentin Lognoné and Dr. Franck Gascoin for pointing out the error in the original article

Erratum: “Enhanced thermoelectric performance in spark plasma textured bulk n -type Bi 2 Te 2.7 Se 0.3 and p-type Bi 0.5 Sb 1.5 Te 3 ” [Appl. Phys. Lett. 102, 211901 (2013)]

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High-throughput synthesis of thermoelectric Ca 3 Co 4 O 9 films

International audienceProperties of complex oxide thin films can be tuned over a range of values as a function of mismatch, composition, orientation, and structure. Here, we report a strategy for growing structured epitaxial thermoelectric thin films leading to improved Seebeck coefficient. Instead of using single-crystal sapphire substrates to support epitaxial growth, Ca3Co4O9 films are deposited, using the Pulsed Laser Deposition technique, onto Al2O3 polycrystalline substrates textured by spark plasma sintering. The structural quality of the 2000 Å thin film was investigated by transmission electron microscopy, while the crystallographic orientation of the grains and the epitaxial relationships were determined by electron backscatter diffraction. The use of a polycrystalline ceramic template leads to structured films that are in good local epitaxial registry. The Seebeck coefficient is about 170 μV/K at 300 K, a typical value of misfit material with low carrier density. This high-throughput process, called combinatorial substrate epitaxy, appears to facilitate the rational tuning of functional oxide films, opening a route to the epitaxial synthesis of high quality complex oxides