Premium
Linking Interfacial Step Structure and Chemistry with Locally Enhanced Radiation‐Induced Amorphization at Oxide Heterointerfaces
Author(s) -
Aguiar Jeffery A.,
Dholabhai Pratik P.,
Bi Zhenxing,
Jia Quanxi,
Fu Engang G.,
Wang Yongqiang Q.,
Aoki Toshihiro,
Zhu Jiangtao,
Misra Amit,
Uberuaga Blas. P.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
advanced materials interfaces
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.671
H-Index - 65
ISSN - 2196-7350
DOI - 10.1002/admi.201300142
Subject(s) - materials science , oxide , irradiation , radiation damage , nanotechnology , transmission electron microscopy , complex oxide , chemical physics , nanomaterials , stoichiometry , radiation , ion , chemistry , optics , physics , organic chemistry , nuclear physics , metallurgy
Nanostructured materials and their interfaces have attracted recent interest for their functionality in a wide variety of different applications. However, the origins of these properties in several instances remain unknown. One promising aspect of nanomaterials is their role in materials design for mitigating radiation damage. In particular, engineered radiation tolerant materials would exploit the presence of internal interfaces to act as recombination centers and suppress damage accumulation. Realizing this promise, however, requires a fundamental understanding of how radiation‐induced defects interact with interfaces. Thus, studying the interfacial atomic structure and chemistry before and after irradiation is critical. In this study, we have performed transmission electron microscopy on a series of pristine and ion‐irradiated oxide interfaces to probe radiation‐induced effects. The CeO 2 /SrTiO 3 interface, chosen as a model system for these studies, is characterized by differences in SrTiO 3 terminations or steps. Our salient result is that steps are centers for preferential amorphization in SrTiO 3 , which we attribute to defect flow across the interface induced by non‐stoichiometry in CeO 2 . The study concludes the interfacial atomic ordering in the form of steps thereby modifies the response to ion irradiation and suggests interface patterning as another parameter to functionalize radiation tolerant materials.