Unexpected formation by pulsed laser deposition of nanostructured Fe/olivine thin films on MgO substrates

Christian Legrand (1) , Loïc Dupont (1) , Carine Davoisne (1) , Françoise Le Marrec (2) , Jacques Perrière (3) , Emmanuel Baudrin (1)

1 LRCS - Laboratoire réactivité et chimie des solides - UMR CNRS 7314
2 LPMC - Laboratoire de Physique de la Matière Condensée - UR UPJV 2081
3 INSP - Institut des Nanosciences de Paris

Olivine-type LiFePO(4) thin films were grown on MgO (1 0 0) substrates by pulsed laser deposition (PLD). The formation of an original nanostructure is evidenced by transmission electron microscopy measurements. Indeed, on focused ion beam prepared cross sections of the thin film, we observe, the amazing formation of metallic iron/olivine nanostructures. The appearance of such a structure is explained owing to a topotactic relation between the two phases as well as a strong Mg diffusion from the substrate to the film surface. Magnesium migration is thus concomitant with the creation of metallic iron domains that grow from the core of the film to the surface leading to large protuberances. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on iron extrusion from the olivine-type LiFePO(4).

Mots clés: Thin films; Pulsed laser deposition; Nanostructure; Olivine

Domaines: Matière Condensée [cond-mat]

Christian Legrand, Loïc Dupont, Carine Davoisne, Françoise Le Marrec, Jacques Perrière, et al.. Unexpected formation by pulsed laser deposition of nanostructured Fe/olivine thin films on MgO substrates. Journal of Solid State Chemistry, 2011, 184 (2), pp.351-356. ⟨10.1016/j.jssc.2010.11.022⟩. ⟨hal-01240943⟩