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High‐voltage high‐resolution electron microscopy study of alkaline‐earth copper oxides
Author(s) -
Hiroi Zenji,
Horiuchi Shigeo
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
microscopy research and technique
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.536
H-Index - 118
eISSN - 1097-0029
pISSN - 1059-910X
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1097-0029(19980215)40:4<251::aid-jemt2>3.0.co;2-v
Subject(s) - electron microscope , copper , alkaline earth metal , materials science , high resolution , chemistry , mineralogy , analytical chemistry (journal) , geology , metallurgy , environmental chemistry , optics , physics , remote sensing , metal
Two families of alkaline‐earth copper oxides are studied by using high‐voltage high‐resolution electron microscopy. One is Sr n −1 Cu n O 2 n −1 ( n = 2, 3), the so‐called spin‐ladder compounds, and the other is ACuO 2 (A = Ca—Sr) crystallizing in the infinite‐layer structure, which is a parent structure for all copper oxide superconductors. It is demonstrated in the former compounds that oxygen columns as well as metal columns are directly imaged in a “structure” image. Moreover, twin‐related lattice defects, which can be the origin of free Cu 2+ spins observed previously in magnetic measurements, have been detected in SrCu 2 O 3 . An interesting irradiation effect under a 1,000‐kV electron beam has been observed in the infinite‐layer compound: An unusual structural phase transformation to a NaCl‐type lattice is induced, accompanied by the formation of nm‐size twin domains. Microsc. Res. Tech. 40:251–264, 1998. © 1998 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.