The synthesis and properties of CaCu3Ti4O12 thin films

The CaCu₃Ti₄O₁₂ (CCTO) thin films were synthesized via a metal‐organic solution containing stoichiometric amounts of the metal cations at 700 °C for 1 h. The stable metal‐organic solution was prepared by dissolving calcium nitrate, copper nitrate, and tetrabuty titanate in grain alcohol. The phases, microstructures, and electric properties of CCTO thin films were characterized by X‐ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscope, and electric measurements. The results show that the CCTO thin films have homogeneous microstructure, smooth surface, low leakage current, and high values of dielectric constant. The low leakage current can be attributed to the small surface roughness. The high value of dielectric constant can be attributed to the internal barrier layer capacitor mechanism and metal‐insulator‐semiconductor junction of CCTO thin films. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Preparation and characterization of Li4Ti5O12 thin films by rapid thermal annealing

Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ thin films were prepared by solution deposition followed by rapid thermal annealing (RTA). The structural and electrochemical properties of the film were comparatively studied with the one prepared by conventional furnace annealing (CFA) through X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic lithium insertion–extraction experiments, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The results show that the film prepared by RTA is homogeneous, crack-free, and pure spinel phase, and its grain size is smaller than that of the film prepared by CFA. The lithium extraction capacity of the film prepared by RTA is 59.5 μAh cm^?2 μm^?1, which is higher than 55.9 μAh cm^?2 μm^?1 of the film prepared by CFA. The capacity loss of the film prepared by RTA after being cycled 50 times is 3.1 %, which is 3.2 % lower than that of 6.3 % for the film prepared by CFA.     

Synthesis and characterization of CaBi4Ti4O15 thin films annealed by microwave and conventional furnaces

CaBi₄Ti₄O₁₅ thin films were deposited by the polymeric precursor method and crystallized in a domestic microwave oven and conventional furnace. The films obtained for microwave energy are well-adhered, homogeneous and with good specularity when treated at 700 ^°C for 10 min. The microstructure and the structure of the films can be tuned by adjusting the crystallization conditions. When microwave oven is employed, the films presented bigger grains with mean grain size around 80 nm. For comparison, films were also prepared by the conventional furnace at 700 °C for 2 h.     

Capacitance scaling of grain boundaries with colossal permittivity of CaCu3Ti4O12-based materials

Samples of copper-deficient CaCu₃Ti₄O₁₂ (CCTO) compared to the nominal composition, all synthesized via organic gel-assisted citrate process, show huge change of grain boundaries capacitance as deduced from a fit of an RC element model to the impedance spectroscopic data. The grain boundary capacitance is found to scale with the permittivity measured at 1 kHz weighted by the size of the grains. This result is found consistent with the internal barrier layer capacitance (IBLC) model.     

Magnetic and electronic properties of CaCu3Cr4O12 and CaCu3Cr2Sb2O12 by first-principles density functional calculation

The electronic and magnetic properties of CaCu3Cr4O12 and CaCu3Cr2Sb2O12 are investigated by the use of the full-potential linearized augumented plane wave (FPLAPW) method. The calculated results indicate that CaCu3Cr4O12 is a ferrimagnetic and half-metallic compound, in good agreement with previous theoretical studies. CaCu3Cr2Sb2O12 is a ferrimagnetic semiconductor with a small gap of 0.136 eV. In both compounds, because Cr4+ 3d (d2) and Cr3+ 3d (d3) orbitals are less than half filled, the coupling between Cr-Cu is antiferromagnetic, whereas that between Cu-Cu and Cr-Cr is ferromagnetic. The total net spin moment is 5.0 and 3.0 microB for CaCu3Cr4O12 and CaCu3Cr2Sb2O12, respectively. In CaCu3Cr4O12, the 3d electrons of Cr4+ are delocalized, which strengthens the Cr-Cr ferromagnetic coupling. For CaCu3Cr2Sb2O12, the doping of nonmagnetic ion Sb5+ reduces the Cr-Cr ferromagnetic coupling, and the half-filled Cr3+ t2g (t2g3) makes the chromium 3d electrons localized. In addition, the ordering arrangement of the octahedral chromium and antimony ions also prevents the delocalization of electrons. Hence, CaCu3Cr2Sb2O12 shows insulating behavior, in agreement with the experimental observation.     

Temperature dependence of electron spin resonance in CaCu3Ti4O12 substituted with transition metal elements

The temperature dependence of the electron spin resonance (ESR) spectrum of copper in CaCu₃Ti₄O₁₂ (CCTO) polycrystalline samples doped with transition metal elements Mn, Fe, Ni is reported. The frequency dependence of the dielectric constant of the sample is also reported at room temperature. While the dielectric constant of undoped CCTO samples reaches ～10,000, it is found one hundred times lower in samples doped with only 0.5 or 1% of Mn or Fe. Copper is confirmed to give a g = 2.14 signal at room temperature for substituted and unsubstituted samples. Below the antiferromagnetic transition that occurs near 25 K, the signal is found shifted down to low fields for all samples. However the downshift is 10–20 times more important in Mn and Fe-doped samples compared to undoped or Ni-doped CCTO. ESR results in an undoped CCTO thin film grown by pulse laser deposition are also reported. While in the low-temperature antiferromagnetic phase the spectrum is multi-line and magnetic-field-orientation-dependent, it reduces to a narrow single line, independent of the orientation of the magnetic field, in the upper paramagnetic phase, similar to the undoped polycrystalline sample. All doped samples display much broader response in the upper phase. The results are discussed within the framework of the relationship between the high effective dielectric constant and the electrical conductivity of CCTO bulk.     

Transparent thin films of Bi2WO6, Bi4Ti3O12 and Sr0.75Ba0.25Nb2O6

Transparent thin films were prepared by a sol–gel method starting from precursor formation in solution, subsequent spin coating followed by a heating ramp up to a maximum of 700 °C. Starting from a Bi₂MoO₆ synthesis route, the phase formation and thin film processing of the bismuth containing materials Bi₂WO₆, Bi₃Ti₄O₁₂ and additionally of the tungsten–bronze structure Sr_0.75Ba_0.25Nb₂O₆ were studied. Spin coating was used to adjust the film thickness in a wide range from 6 to 200 nm. All films were obtained as multicrystalline pure phases according to X-ray diffraction analyses. Scanning electron micrographs revealed homogeneous coatings composed of nanoparticles with a crystallite size varying between 20 and 100 nm, furthermore the UV–VIS spectra demonstrated a high transparency of the films, 80–90% at 600 nm.     

Notable enlargement of remnant polarization for fatigue-free SrBi4Ti4O15 thin films by La-substitution

La-doped SrBi₄Ti₄O₁₅, SrBi_4–x La _x Ti₄O₁₅ (SBLT-x, x = 0.00, 0.10 and 0.25), thin films have been successfully prepared by the sol–gel method. Structures, surface morphology and ferroelectric properties were investigated. Compared with undoped SBTi, SBLT-0.10 shows a notable larger remnant polarization (2P _r = 46 μC/cm²). Meanwhile, the SBLT-0.10 film shows little change of P _nv and −P _nv up to 4.4 × 10¹⁰ switching cycles, suggesting an excellent fatigue-endurance characteristics.     

Impedance and electric modulus approaches to investigate four origins of giant dielectric constant in CaCu3Ti4O12 ceramics

The frequency dependence of electric modulus of polycrystalline CaCu₃Ti₄O₁₂ (CCTO) ceramics has been investigated. The experimental data have also been analyzed in the complex plane of impedance and electric modulus, and a suitable equivalent circuit has been proposed to explain the dielectric response. Four dielectric responses are first distinguished in the impedance and modulus spectroscopies. The results are well interpreted in terms of a triple insulating barrier capacitor model. Using this model, these four dielectric relaxations are attributed to the domain, domain-boundary, grain-boundary, and surface layer effects with three Maxwell–Wagner relaxations. Moreover, the values of the resistance and capacitance of bulk CCTO phase, domain-boundary, grain-boundary and surface layer contributions have been calculated directly from the peak characteristics of spectroscopic plots.     

Central role of TiO2 anatase grain boundaries on resistivity of CaCu3Ti4O12-based materials probed by Raman spectroscopy

This study focuses on characterization and control of grain boundaries to enhance the properties of CaCu₃Ti₄O₁₂ (CCTO) ceramics capacitors for industrial applications. A novel factor deals with TiO₂ anatase revealed by Raman scattering in grain boundaries, found as a dominant parameter of largest sample resistivity, consistent with higher grain boundary resistivity and higher breakdown voltage. Four selected samples of CCTO-based compositions showing very different properties in terms of permittivity ranging from 1000 to 684 000 measured at 1 kHz, capacitance of grain boundaries ranging from 8 10⁻¹⁰ to 4.5 10⁻⁷ F cm⁻¹, grain boundary resistivity ranging from 193 to 30,000,000 Ω cm and sample resistivity extending from 450 to 10¹¹ Ω cm. The relationship between permittivity weighted by grain size and capacitance of grain boundaries confirms the internal barrier layer capacitance model over 5 orders of magnitude.     

Thermochemical studies on Bi4Ge3O12 and Bi4Ti3O12 single crystals

The specific heat values of Bi₄Ge₃O₁₂ and Bi₄Ti₃O₁₂ single crystals have been studied using a DSC instrument in the temperature range from 323 to 1273 K. The temperature range at which the anomaly associated with transition from polarized to non-polarized phase in Bi₄Ti₃O₁₂ occurred, has been estimated using the shape of the Bi₄Ge₃O₁₂ heat capacity curve as a “normal” one. The heat effect and the entropy change of the transition were evaluated.     

Mechanism of Formation of Bi4Ti3O12

The mechanism of solid-phase reaction of Bi₄Ti₃O₁₂ formation was studied. Formation of the layered perovskite-like bismuth titanate occurs via intermediates with sequential changes in the coordination polyhedron of bismuth. A correlation is analyzed between the temperature of the onset of activation of the solid-phase reaction and the melting point of the surface (intergrain) phase based on bismuth oxide.     

ChemInform Abstract: Magnetic and Electronic Properties of CaCu3Cr4O12 and CaCu3Cr2Sb2O12 by First‐Principles Density Functional Calculation.

ChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance that was extracted from about 200 leading journals. To access a ChemInform Abstract of an article which was published elsewhere, please select a “Full Text” option. The original article is trackable via the “References” option.     

Dielectric and ac impedance studies of nanostructured CaCu3Ti3.90Ce0.10O12 electro-ceramic synthesized by citrate-gel route

Effect of doping at Ti⁴⁺ site by Ce³⁺ has been examined in CaCu₃Ti_3.90Ce_0.10O₁₂ synthesized by citrate-gel route. DTA/TG analysis of dry powder gives pre-information about formation of final product around 850 °C. X ray diffraction analysis confirmed the formation of CaCu₃Ti_3.90Ce_0.10O₁₂ phase of the ceramic sintered at 950 °C for 12 h. Microstructure has been studied using scanning electron microscopy and confirmed the average grain size found in nano range 200–400 nm in system CaCu₃Ti_3.90Ce_0.10O₁₂.The nature of relaxation behavior of ceramic was also rationalized by using the impedance and modulus spectroscopy. The bulk conductivity indicates an Arrhenius-type thermally activated process. The ac conductivity spectrum obeyed the Jonscher power law. The complex impedance diagrams of the ceramic exhibited a significant contribution from the grains, grain boundaries and electrode. The activation energies calculated from the grain-boundary relaxation time constant was found to be 0.49 eV which confirmed the Maxwell–Wagner type of relaxation present in the ceramic.     

Recent advances in covalent organic polymers-based thin films as memory devices

Covalent organic polymers (COPs) have emerged as a promising class of materials for memory devices due to their unique electronic properties and potential for tunability. This review highlights recent advances in the field of COPs-based thin films for memory applications, with a focus on the synthesis and characterization of COP thin films, their electronic properties, and their performance as memory devices. The potential of COPs-based thin films as flexible memory devices is also discussed. Overall, the recent progress in COPs-based thin films for memory applications suggests that these materials may have a significant impact on the development of next-generation memory technologies.     

Sb2O3掺杂Li4Ti5O12的电化学性能

采用Sb2O3掺杂改性Li4Ti5O12.用恒流充放电、循环伏安和交流阻抗技术对样品的电化学性能进行了测试.结果显示,当Ti:Sb＝4：1时,首次放电容量高达595.84mAhog-1,首次的库仑效率为45.7％,存在不可逆容量损失.提出了可能的反应机理,并用该机理解释了影响容量衰减的因素.经过20次充放电循环后,容量保持在249.57 mAhog-1.电化学阻抗谱表明,Sb的掺杂使得电化学反应阻抗减小了.