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Electronic and Optical Properties of a Semiconducting Spinel (Fe 2 CrO 4 )
Author(s) -
Chambers Scott A.,
Droubay Timothy C.,
Kaspar Tiffany C.,
Nayyar Iffat H.,
McBriarty Martin E.,
Heald Steve M.,
Keavney David J.,
Bowden Mark E.,
Sushko Peter V.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
advanced functional materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.069
H-Index - 322
eISSN - 1616-3028
pISSN - 1616-301X
DOI - 10.1002/adfm.201605040
Subject(s) - spinel , materials science , ferrimagnetism , valence (chemistry) , chromium , molecular beam epitaxy , metal , semiconductor , ferrite (magnet) , electronic structure , epitaxy , condensed matter physics , optoelectronics , nanotechnology , magnetization , metallurgy , physics , layer (electronics) , quantum mechanics , magnetic field , composite material
Epitaxial chromium ferrite (Fe 2 CrO 4 ), prepared by state‐of‐the‐art oxygen plasma assisted molecular beam epitaxy, is shown to exhibit unusual electronic transport properties driven by the crystallographic structure and composition of the material. Replacing 1/3 of the Fe cations with Cr converts the host ferrimagnet from a metal into a semiconductor by virtue of its fixed valence (3+); Cr substitutes for Fe at B sites in the spinel lattice. By contrast, replacing 2/3 of the Fe cations with Cr results in an insulator. Three candidate conductive paths, all involving electron hopping between Fe 2+ and Fe 3+ , are identified in Fe 2 CrO 4 . Moreover, Fe 2 CrO 4 is shown to be photoconductive across the visible portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. As a result, this material is of potential interest for important photo‐electrochemical processes such as water splitting.