Topotaxial formation of titanium-rich barium titanates during solid state reactions on (110) TiO2 (rutile) and (001) BaTiO3 single crystals

The orientation relationships of Ti-rich barium titanate phases formed by solid state reactions at high temperatures were studied using (110) TiO₂ (rutile) and (001) BaTiO₃ single-crystal substrates. Well-oriented Ba₆Ti₁₇O₄₀ islands were observed after a vapor–solid reaction of a BaO quantity equivalent to a nominal BaO film thickness of 1 nm with the TiO₂ substrate, whereas a thin film consisting of well-oriented BaTiO₃ and Ba₆Ti₁₇O₄₀ grains was formed after vapor–solid reaction of a BaO quantity equivalent to a nominal BaO film thickness of 50 nm with the rutile substrate. A topotaxial orientation relationship between Ba₆Ti₁₇O₄₀ and TiO₂ was found. Topotaxy is facilitated by a certain similarity in the oxygen sublattices of TiO₂ and Ba₆Ti₁₇O₄₀. The mechanism of the reaction occurring between BaO vapor and the TiO₂ surface at high temperature is discussed. On the other hand, several well-oriented Ba₄Ti₁₃O₃₀, Ba₆Ti₁₇O₄₀ and Ba₂Ti₅O₁₂ phases were observed to be embedded in the mainly forming Ba₂TiSi₂O₈ phase after a solid–solid reaction of amorphous SiO₂ thin films with (001) BaTiO₃ substrates at temperatures above 1000 °C. They were formed by a topotaxial reaction involving the transformation of (111) planes of BaTiO₃ into (001) planes of the Ti-rich phases by removal of BaO and insertion of TiO₂. Cross-sections of the interfaces between the substrates and the various reaction products are studied by (high-resolution) transmission electron microscopy.