Thin films of Co1.7Fe1.3O4 prepared by radio frequency sputtering - the first step towards their spinodal decomposition

Pure thin films of Co 1.7 Fe 1.3 O 4 spinel iron cobaltites were prepared for the first time by radio frequency sputtering. Such films are made of small crystallites of about 20 to 30 nm in diameter. Because Co 1.7 Fe 1.3 O 4 films have a composition located in the miscibility gap of Fe 3 O 4 -Co 3...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:CrystEngComm 2014-01, Vol.16 (16), p.3359-3365
Main Authors: Bui, T. M. A, Le Trong, H, Presmanes, L, Barnabé, A, Bonningue, C, Tailhades, P
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Chemical Sciences
Material chemistry
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Pure thin films of Co 1.7 Fe 1.3 O 4 spinel iron cobaltites were prepared for the first time by radio frequency sputtering. Such films are made of small crystallites of about 20 to 30 nm in diameter. Because Co 1.7 Fe 1.3 O 4 films have a composition located in the miscibility gap of Fe 3 O 4 -Co 3 O 4 , they can be submitted to spinodal transformation below about 900 °C. This transformation was also confirmed at 600 °C by X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy studies. It was demonstrated however that this spinodal transformation occurs after only a few hours at low temperature. Indeed, after annealing in air at 300 to 450 °C for a few hours, the spinodal transformation leading to two-phase spinels, one rich in iron and the other rich in cobalt, was clearly revealed by Raman spectroscopy and electrical measurements. Co 1.7 Fe 1.3 O 4 thin films are submitted to spinodal transformation after annealing at low temperature.
ISSN:1466-8033
DOI:10.1039/c3ce42588f