Orientation-specific amorphization and intercalated recrystallization at ion-irradiated SrTiO 3 /MgO interfaces
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Mujin Zhuo and Zhenxing Bi Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545, USA
Engang Fu, Yongqiang Wang, and Pratik P. Dholabhai Materials Science and Technology Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545, USA
Amit Misra and Quanxi Jia Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545, USA
Blas P. Uberuaga Materials Science and Technology Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545, USA (Received 15 April 2014; accepted 15 July 2014)
Oxide composites are a class of materials with potential uses for nuclear, space, and coating applications. Exploiting their promise, however, requires a detailed understanding of their interfacial structure and chemistry. Using analytical microscopy, we have examined the radiation damage behavior at the interface of a model oxide bilayer, SrTiO3/MgO. The as-synthesized SrTiO3 thin film contained both (100) and (110) oriented domains. We found that after ion beam implantation the (110) domains amorphized at a lower radiation fluence than the (100) domains. Further, a persistent crystalline layer of SrTiO3 forms at the interface even as the rest of the SrTiO3 film amorphizes. We hypothesize that the enhanced amorphization susceptibility of the (110) domains is a consequence of how charged irradiation-induced defects at the interfaces interact with the charged planes of the (110) domains. These results demonstrate the complex relationship between interfacial structure and radiation damage evolution at oxide interfaces. I. INTRODUCTION
Oxide composites are a vital class of materials for a wide variety of applications. Nanomaterials primarily differ from their bulk counterparts through an increased density of interfaces. Many properties of materials are often attributed to the interaction of atomic scale defects with interfaces. This is especially true for those properties related to defect mobilities, such as radiation tolerance.1 For example, ceramic–matrix composite materials,2 similar in morphology to carbon-based ceramic composites,3,4 are under consideration for next generation nuclear energy fuel designs,5 self-healing laminates for deep space exploration,6,7 and superhard coatings for low friction applications.8,9 Applying advanced materials characterization to expose the interaction of point defects with interfaces is vital for understanding and exploiting the utility of composites in each of these applications.
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Address all correspondence to this author. e-mail: [email protected] This paper has been selected as an Invited Feature Paper. DOI: 10.1557/jmr.2014.217 J. Mater. Res., Vol. 29, No. 16, Aug 28, 2014
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Tailoring composites materials and their inherent abundance of interfaces is one of the many plausible ways to mitigate the effects of point defect accumulation and improve on the radiation tolerance of materials. In damage studies, radiation tolerance
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