Piezo-generated charge mapping revealed through direct piezoelectric force microscopy

A. Gomez, M. Gich, A. Carretero-Genevrier, T. Puig & X. Obradors Nature Communications 8, Article number: 1113 (2017) doi:10.1038/s41467-017-01361-2 

While piezoelectric and ferroelectric materials play a key role in many everyday applications, there are still a number of open questions related to their physics. To enhance our understanding of piezoelectrics and ferroelectrics, nanoscale characterization is essential. Here, we develop an atomic force microscopy based mode that obtains a direct quantitative analysis of the piezoelectric coefficient d₃₃. We report nanoscale images of piezogenerated charge in a thick single crystal of periodically poled lithium niobate (PPLN), a bismuth ferrite (BiFO₃) thin film, and lead zirconate titanate (PZT) by applying a force and recording the current produced by these materials. The quantification of d₃₃coefficients for PPLN (14 ± 3 pC per N) and BFO (43 ± 6 pC per N) is in agreement with the values reported in the literature. Even stronger evidence of the reliability of the method is provided by an equally accurate measurement of the significantly larger d₃₃ of PZT.

Competition between Polar and Nonpolar Lattice Distortions in Oxide Quantum Wells: New Critical Thickness at Polar Interfaces

J. Gazquez, M. Stengel, R. Mishra, M. Scigaj, M. Varela, M. A. Roldan, J. Fontcuberta, F. Sánchez, and G. Herranz. Phys. Rev. Lett. 119, 106102 – Published 7 September 2017. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.119.106102

Two basic lattice distortions permeate the structural phase diagram of oxide perovskites: antiferrodistortive (AFD) rotations and tilts of the oxygen octahedral network and polar ferroelectric modes. With some notable exceptions, these two order parameters rarely coexist in a bulk crystal, and understanding their competition is a lively area of active research. Here we demonstrate, by using the LaAlO₃/SrTiO₃ system as a test case, that quantum confinement can be a viable tool to shift the balance between AFD and polar modes and selectively stabilize one of the two phases. By combining scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) and first-principles-based models, we find a crossover between a bulklike LaAlO₃ structure where AFD rotations prevail, to a strongly polar state with no AFD tilts at a thickness of approximately three unit cells; therefore, in addition to the celebrated electronic reconstruction, our work unveils a second critical thickness, related not to the electronic properties but to the structural ones. We discuss the implications of these findings, both for the specifics of the LaAlO₃/SrTiO₃ system and for the general quest towards nanoscale control of material properties.

Roger Guzman, Jaume Gazquez, Bernat Mundet, Mariona Coll, Xavier Obradors, and Teresa Puig. Phys. Rev. Materials. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevMaterials.1.024801

Enhanced pinning due to nanoscale strain is unique to the high-Tc cuprates, where pairing may be modified with lattice distortion. Therefore a comprehensive understanding of the defect landscape is required for a broad range of applications. However, determining the type and distribution of defects and their associated strain constitutes a critical task, and for this aim, real-space techniques for atomic resolution characterization are necessary. Here, we use scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) to study the atomic structure of individual defects of solution-derived YB_a2C_u3O₇ (YBCO) nanocomposites, where the inclusion of incoherent secondary phase nanoparticles within the YBCO matrix dramatically increases the density of Y₁B_a2C_u4O₈ (Y124) intergrowths, the commonest defect in YBCO thin films. The formation of the Y124 is found to trigger a concatenation of strain-derived interactions with other defects and the concomitant nucleation of intrinsic defects, which weave a web of randomly distributed nanostrained regions that profoundly transform the vortex-pinning landscape of the YBCO nanocomposite thin films.

Novel Fe₃O₄@GNF@SiO₂ nanocapsules fabricated through the combination of an in situformation method and SiO₂ coating process for magnetic resonance imaging

Changyong Lu,* Stefania Sandoval, Teresa Puig, Xavier Obradors, Gerard Tobias, Josep Rosa and Susagna Ricart. RSC Adv., 2017, 7, 24690. DOI: 10.1039/c7ra04080f

An in situ approach for the synthesis of Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles combined with a SiO₂ coating process was employed to prepare Fe₃O₄@GNF@SiO>₂ nanocapsules. Graphitised nanofibres (GNF) were initially filled with iron(III) acetylacetonate, and used as a precursor for the synthesis of ultrasmall Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles (4.6 nm in diameter) inside the cavities of GNF (Fe₃O₄@GNF) with a high density. By using a silica coating process, Fe₃O₄@GNF@SiO>₂ nanocapsules were obtained. The presence of the silica shell not only prevented leakage of the nanoparticles from inside the GNF but also protected the magnetite nanoparticles from dissolution, even in harsh acidic conditions. Furthermore, the silica coating resulted in an increased dispersability of the nanocomposites in water. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies indicate relatively high  relaxivities for Fe₃O₄@GNF nanocomposites and Fe₃O₄@GNF@SiO>₂ nanocapsules revealing the potential application of these hybrid materials for bioimaging. Therefore, the coating of filled GNF with silica is as an excellent strategy for the protection of encapsulated payloads.

Hybrid YBa₂Cu₃O₇ Superconducting–Ferromagnetic Nanocomposite Thin Films Prepared from Colloidal Chemical Solutions

Elena Bartolomé, Pablo Cayado, Eduardo Solano,Cristian Mocuta, Susagna Ricart, Bernat Mundet, Marionna Coll, Jaume Gázquez, Alexander Meledin, Gustaaf van Tendeloo, Manuel Valvidares, Javier Herrero-Martín, Pierluigi Gargiani, Eric Pellegrin, Cesar Magén, Teresa Puig, Xavier Obradors. Adv. Electron. Mater. 2017, 1700037. DOI: 10.1002/aelm.201700037

High Tc superconductor–ferromagnetic heterostructures constitute an appealing playground to study the interplay between flux vortices and magnetic moments. Here, the capability of a solution-derived route to grow hybrid YBa2Cu3O7-ferromagnetic nanocomposite epitaxial thin films from preformed spinel ferrite (MFe2O4, M = Mn, Co) nanoparticles (NPs) is explored. The characterization, performed using a combination of structural and magnetic techniques, reveals the complexity of the resulting nanocomposites. Results show that during the YBCO growth process, most of the NPs evolve to ferromagnetic double-perovskite (DP) phases (YBaCu2−x−yFexCoyO5/YBaCoFeO5), while a residual fraction of preformed ferrite NPs may remain in the YBCO matrix. Magnetometry cycles reflect the presence of ferromagnetic structures associated to the DPs embedded in the superconducting films. In addition, a superparamagnetic signal that may be associated with a diluted system of ferromagnetic clusters around complex defects has been detected, as previously observed in standard YBCO films and nanocomposites. The hybrid nanocomposites described in this work will allow studying several fundamental issues like the nucleation of superconductivity and the mechanisms of magnetic vortex pinning in superconducting/ferromagnetic heterostructures.

P. Cayado, C. F. Sánchez-Valdés,  A. Stangl,  M. Coll,  P. Roura,  A. Palau,  T. Puig  and  X. Obradors*. Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2017,19, 14129-14140. DOI: 0.1039/C7CP01855J0.1039/C7CP01855J
The kinetics of oxygen incorporation (in-diffusion process) and excorporation (out-diffusion process), in YBa₂Cu₃O_6+x (YBCO) epitaxial thin films prepared using the chemical solution deposition (CSD) methodology by the trifluoroacetate route, was investigated by electrical conductivity relaxation measurements. We show that the oxygenation kinetics of YBCO films is limited by the surface exchange process of oxygen molecules prior to bulk diffusion into the films. The analysis of the temperature and oxygen partial pressure influence on the oxygenation kinetics has drawn a consistent picture of the oxygen surface exchange process enabling us to define the most likely rate determining step. We have also established a strategy to accelerate the oxygenation kinetics at low temperatures based on the catalytic influence of Ag coatings thus allowing us to decrease the oxygenation temperature in the YBCO thin films.

Albert Queraltó*, María de la Mata, Jordi Arbiol, Ruben Hühne∥, Xavier Obradors, and Teresa Puig. Cryst. Growth Des., 2017, 17 (2), pp 504–516. DOI: 10.1021/acs.cgd.6b01358

 

Self-assembling approaches based on chemical solution deposition (CSD) are ideal methods for the cost-effective production of epitaxial nanostructures with high throughput. Therefore, an in-depth investigation of the nucleation and coarsening processes involved in the self-assembly of nanostructures is mandatory to achieve a good control over nanostructure shape, dimensions, and orientation. Heteroepitaxial Ce0.9Gd0.1O2-y (CGO) is an ideal model system to unveil the underlying nanostructure development mechanisms in addition to their promising properties for catalysis, gas sensors, and ionic conductivity. Rapid thermal annealing furnaces have been used to study separately the thermodynamic and kinetic nucleation and coarsening mechanisms of self-assembled CGO isotropic and anisotropic nanostructures based on strain-engineering and surface energies control. Different CGO nanoislands are obtained: isotropic (001)CGO nanodots are grown on (001)-oriented Y2O3:ZrO2 (YSZ) and LaAlO3 (LAO) substrates, whereas (011)LAO substrates promote the growth of elongated (011)CGO nanowires. HRTEM and RHEED analyses are used to study the early stages of nucleation, as well as the shape and interfacial structure of CGO nanostructures. A systematic study with the heating ramp, annealing temperature and time, and strain in combination with thermally activated theoretical models provides information on the nucleation behavior, nucleation barriers, and atomic diffusion coefficients along in-plane and out-of-plane island orientations. Highly anisotropic atomic diffusion constants have been shown to be at the origin of the high aspect ratios of some of the nanostructures. Overall, our study provides a general method for the evaluation of nucleation and coarsening of multiple CSD-derived oxide nanostructures and understanding the shape development by combining thermodynamic and kinetic approaches.

Katrien De Keukeleere, Pablo Cayado, Alexander Meledin, Ferran Vallès, Jonathan De Roo, Hannes Rijckaert, Glenn Pollefeyt, Els Bruneel, Anna Palau, Mariona Coll, Susagna Ricart, Gustaaf Van Tendeloo, Teresa Puig, Xavier Obradors, Isabel Van Driessche. Advanced Electronic Materials. DOI: 10.1002/aelm.201600161 Although high temperature superconductors are promising for power applications, the production of low-cost coated conductors with high current densities—at high magnetic fields—remains challenging. A superior superconducting YBa2Cu3O7–δ nanocomposite is fabricated via chemical solution deposition (CSD) using preformed nanocrystals (NCs). Preformed, colloidally stable ZrO2 NCs are added to the trifluoroacetic acid based precursor solution and the NCs’ stability is confirmed up to 50 mol% for at least 2.5 months. These NCs tend to disrupt the epitaxial growth of YBa2Cu3O7–δ, unless a thin seed layer is applied. A 10 mol% ZrO2 NC addition proved to be optimal, yielding a critical current density JC of 5 MA cm−2 at 77 K in self-field. Importantly, this new approach results in a smaller magnetic field decay of JC(H//c) for the nanocomposite compared to a pristine film. Furthermore, microstructural analysis of the YBa2Cu3O7–δ nanocomposite films reveals that different strain generation mechanisms may occur compared to the spontaneous segregation approach. Yet, the generated nanostrain in the YBa2Cu3O7–δ nanocomposite results in an improvement of the superconducting properties similar to the spontaneous segregation approach. This new approach, using preformed NCs in CSD coatings, can be of great potential for high magnetic field applications.

Lluís Balcells, Carlos Martínez-Boubeta*, José Cisneros-Fernández, Konstantinos Simeonidis, Bernat Bozzo, Judith Oró-Sole, Núria Bagués, Jordi Arbiol, Narcís Mestres, and Benjamín Martínez*. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces, 2016, 8 (42), pp 28599–28606. DOI: 10.1021/acsami.6b08709

 

The fabrication procedure of hollow iron oxide nanoparticles with a large surface to volume ratio by a single-step gas condensation process at ambient temperature is presented. Fe clusters formed during the sputtering process are progressively transformed into hollow cuboids with oxide shells by the Kirkendall mechanism at the expense of oxygen captured inside the deposition chamber. TEM and Raman spectroscopy techniques point to magnetite as the main component of the nanocuboids; however, the magnetic behavior exhibited by the samples suggests the presence of FeO as well. In addition, these particles showed strong stability after several months of exposure to ambient conditions, making them of potential interest in diverse technological applications. In particular, these hierarchical hollow particles turned out to be very efficient for both As(III) and As(V) absorption (326 and 190 mg/g, respectively), thus making them of strong interest for drinking water remediation.