Search

Controlling the growth of complex relaxor ferroelectric thin films and understanding the relationship between biaxial strain-structural domain characteristics are desirable for designing materials with a high electromechanical response. For this purpose, epitaxial thin films free of extended defects and secondary phases are urgently needed. Here, we used optimized growth parameters and target compositions to obtain epitaxial (40-45 nm) 0.67Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-0.33PbTiO3/(20 nm) SrRuO3 (PMN-33PT/SRO) heterostructures using pulsed-laser deposition (PLD) on singly terminated SrTiO3 (STO) and ReScO3 (RSO) substrates with Re = Dy, Tb, Gd, Sm, and Nd. In situ reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED) and high-resolution X-ray diffraction (HR-XRD) analysis confirmed high-quality and single-phase thin films with smooth 2D surfaces. High-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy (HR-STEM) revealed sharp interfaces and homogeneous strain further confirming the epitaxial cube-on-cube growth mode of the PMN-33PT/SRO heterostructures. The combined XRD reciprocal space maps (RSMs) and piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM) analysis revealed that the domain structure of the PMN-33PT heterostructures is sensitive to the applied compressive strain. From the RSM patterns, an evolution from a butterfly-shaped diffraction pattern for mildly strained PMN-33PT layers, which is evidence of stabilization of relaxor domains, to disc-shaped diffraction patterns for high compressive strains with a highly distorted tetragonal structure, is observed. The PFM amplitude and phase of the PMN-33PT thin films confirmed the relaxor-like for a strain state below ∼1.13%, while for higher compressive strain (∼1.9%) the irregularly shaped and poled ferroelectric domains were observed. Interestingly, the PFM phase hysteresis loops of the PMN-33PT heterostructures grown on the SSO substrates (strain state of ∼0.8%) exhibited an enhanced coercive field which is about two times larger than that of the thin films grown on GSO and NSO substrates. The obtained results show that epitaxial strain engineering could serve as an effective approach for tailoring and enhancing the functional properties in relaxor ferroelectrics.

Zirconia-based (3Y-TZP) dental implants are being introduced as an alternative to established titanium counterparts. As 3Y-TZP’s bioinertness poses a challenge to osseointegration, modifications of the implants’ surface are necessary. Roughening is a common method to improve the cell response and should ideally combine micro- and nano-scale features. Here we show a simple synthesis procedure for the nano-roughening of sandblasted 3Y-TZP by precipitation of a nanostructured alumina coating. As-modified surfaces were characterised regarding their morphology and phase composition, roughness, wetting behaviour and zeta potential, and correlated to the behaviour of human osteoblasts and Staphylococcus aureus bacteria. Osteoblasts were successfully cultured on all surfaces regardless of their modification. Surfaces exhibiting a combination of micro- and nano-roughening performed best regarding initial attachment and proliferation of osteoblasts. Alumina-coated surfaces also limited the bacterial adhesion.

This paper reports on the influence of heat treatment on the corrosion properties of CuAlMn alloy in 0.1%, 0.9% and 1.5% NaCl solution (pH = 7.4). Heat treatment of alloy samples was performed by samples annealing at 900°C for 30 min. Electrochemical methods of investigations included measuring the open circuit potential (E oc) and linear and potentiodynamic polarisation. Optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) were used to study the morphology and composition of the corroded surfaces, along with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Heat-treated samples have slightly more positive values of E oc, slightly lower values of corrosion current density and higher values of polarisation resistance compared with the as-cast alloy. The microscopic analysis showed the rough surfaces due to corrosion processes. Increasing the electrolyte concentration leads to an increase in alloy surface damage. AFM and SEM examinations showed that the surface was covered with interlaced layers of corrosion products, as well as cracks and ducts formed by their dissolution. EDX and XPS analyses showed that corrosive products consist mainly of aluminium and manganese oxides and chlorides. Annealed CuAlMn alloy samples have significantly lower copper content compared with the as-cast CuAlMn alloy.

Controlling the growth of complex relaxor ferroelectric thin films and understanding the relationship between biaxial strain-structural domain characteristics are desirable for designing materials with a high electromechanical response. For this purpose, epitaxial thin films free of extended defects and secondary phases are urgently needed. Here, we used optimized growth parameters and target compositions to obtain epitaxial (40-45 nm) 0.67Pb(Mg

Pulsed-laser deposition was used to prepare Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-PbTiO3 (PMN-PT) thin films on (LaNiO3)/SrTiO3 substrates. We found that the bottom electrode has an immense influence on the properties of the overgrown active layer. Specifically, we found that the use of LaNiO3 (LNO) as the electrode material strongly stabilizes the perovskite phase and significantly expands the process window for the preparation of phase-pure PMN-PT as compared to a direct deposition on SrTiO3 (STO) substrates. Based on our experiments, the stabilization is achieved primarily due to the increased interface roughness, which enhances the sticking of Pb-based species, thereby suppressing the formation of undesired Pb-deficient pyrochlore inclusions. The roughness of the interface does not have adverse effects on the quality of the films. In fact, the film prepared on the LNO/STO template from the Pb-rich target exhibited superior electrical properties as compared to the film prepared directly on STO. By understanding the mechanism, we were able to exploit it and prepare an STO/Nb:STO template with a rough surface, which strongly enhanced the stability of the perovskite phase. This approach can be used to design templates for different device configurations.

Growth of Pb(Mg 1/3 Nb 2/3 )O 3 –33PbTiO 3 thin films by pulsed-laser deposition directly on non-conductive SrTiO 3 substrates for d 33 -mode energy harvesters (EHs) was studied, as they offer a higher figure-of-merit than d 31 -mode EHs. It was found that a high defect density, present in the film grown at 0.13 mbar, is manifested in the form of splitting of the (00 l ) peaks in X-ray diffraction, which was avoided by raising the process pressure to 0.27 mbar. Nevertheless, both films grow in a combined 2D and 3D manner, and form out-of-phase boundaries (OPBs) with a PbO rock-salt structure between the as-grown islands. It was found that the overall composition of the sample with optimized structural and functional properties was Pb 1.07 Mg 0.19 Nb 0.44 Ti 0.32 O 3 , which is close to stoichiometric. The surplus of Pb is compensated by the formation of OPBs and Mg deficit maintains macroscopic electroneutrality. In-plane and out-of-plane relative permittivities of 1900 and 980, respectively, imply macroscopic out-of-plane polarization.

The deoxidation and passivation of a silicon surface represents one of the most important steps in the successful integration of functional oxides with silicon. Due to its reactivity and dissimilar properties with respect to oxides, silicon surfaces are conditioned using various buffer systems. Despite the quality of the resulting surface, these Sr-based buffers have not been commercialized because of the reactivity of the metallic Sr. SrO has demonstrated properties that are competitive with metallic Sr, but a successful integration with silicon has not yet been proven. In the present study we have determined the optimal pulsed-laser deposition (PLD) conditions for the SrO-induced deoxidation of a silicon surface, which results in a 2 × 1 reconstructed surface. Additionally, the as-prepared surface is oxide-free and atomically flat. The results show that the amount of SrO plays the most critical role in the optimization of the whole process. Deposited in batch mode, the amount of SrO affects the morphologies of the surfaces, which change from a dimerized surface to SrO islands and a polycrystalline layer in the final stage. However, in the case of an insufficient amount of deposited SrO, pits are formed on the surface, drastically increasing its roughness. The successful optimization of the PLD conditions for the formation of a SrO buffer layer opens a new pathway for interfacing oxides with silicon.