Laser Ablation Deposition of CeO2−x Epitaxial Domains on Glass

Laser ablation of CeO₂ target in vacuum (5×10⁻⁴ Pa) was used to produce nanometer-size condensates, which deposited as yellowish top coating and whitish bottom coating on a soda-lime glass substrate. The top coating consists of optically anisotropic columnar domains conformable to monoclinic Ce₆O₁₁ phase coexisting with cubic (c) CeO_2−x, whereas the bottom coating is optically isotropic c-CeO_2−x due to oxygen uptake from the substrate. Transmission electron microscopy indicated that the columnar domains are made up of defective fluorite-type nanoparticles, which tended to coalesce over (111) plane to form dislocations and (111)-preferred orientation, an artificial epitaxy owing to rotation-coalescence of (111) faceted CeO_2−x condensates on the amorphous substrate and/or within the coating.