Microstructure Evolution and Cation Interdiffusion in Thin Sm2O3 Films on CeO2 Substrates. Issue 10 (24th July 2014)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Rockenhäuser, Christian; Butz, Benjamin; Störmer, Heike; Gerthsen, Dagmar; Chan, H.
• Is Part Of: Journal of the American Ceramic Society. Volume 97:Issue 10(2014)
• Page Start: 3276
• Page End: 3285
• Publication Date: 2014-07-24
• Subjects: Ceramics -- Periodicals; 620.1405
• DOI: 10.1111/jace.13044
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0002-7820

Abstract

<abstract abstract-type="main" id="jace13044-abs-0001"> <title> <x xml:space="preserve">Abstract</x> </title> <p>Samaria (Sm₂O₃) thin films with a thickness of 180 nm were deposited on polycrystalline CeO₂ substrates by pulsed layer deposition to study phase formation and bulk cation interdiffusion in the Ce_{1−<italic>x</italic>}Sm_{<italic>x</italic>}O_{2−<italic>x</italic>/2} system after annealing at temperatures between 987°C and 1266°C. Transmission electron microscopy combined with electron diffraction and analytical techniques was applied for phase determination. The cubic fluorite and cubic bixbyite phases were observed at low and intermediate Sm concentrations. The monoclinic phase occurs only at very high Sm concentrations due to the low Ce‐solubility in Sm₂O₃. Furthermore, a cubic phase with I2₁3 structure was observed at higher Sm concentrations. Cation interdiffusion coefficients were derived from Sm concentration profiles across the Sm₂O₃/CeO₂ interface using the diffusion–couple solution of the diffusion equation. The temperature dependence of interdiffusion coefficients is well described by an Arrhenius‐type relation, which yields an activation enthalpy of 2.26 eV/atom for bulk cation interdiffusion.</p> </abstract>