Ceramic oxides: Surfaces and amorphous/crystalline interfaces

Model studies have been carried out to further the basic understanding of ceramic oxide surfaces and the interface between ceramic oxides and amorphous films. Boundary-migration studies using model geometries of alumina and rutile bicrystals have been carried out. In the case of the rutile boundary, migration proceeds faster near the surface, while in the alumina bicrystal migration proceeds faster away from the boundary. A solution/reprecipitation mechanism is proposed for the alumina case, while a mechanism similar to diffusion-induced grain boundary migration (DIGM) is proposed for the rutile case.;Three distinct faceting behaviors for the m-plane of alumina have been identified. The low-energy configuration was observed within a glass droplet whereas higher-energy configurations were observed outside dewet droplets and within a migrating grain boundary. These high-energy configurations are due to kinetic limitations. A method for monitoring the evolution of faceting over the course of several heat treatments has been developed which uses a combination of visible-light microscopy (VLM) and atomic-force microscopy (AFM) with the aid of fiducial marks (indentations) as reference markers.;Grooves at migrating grain boundaries in high-purity alumina have been studied using a combination of VLM, AFM, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) through a progression of heat treatments at 1650°C. The partial angles of grooves that developed at migrating grain boundaries were found to be asymmetric compared with those that developed at stationary boundaries.;The wetting behavior of an amorphous SiO2 film on single-crystal substrates of TiO2 has been extensively studied. A model involving the initiation of an instability due to surface-tension gradients is proposed as the mechanism for the complex patterns observed. It is proposed that the surface-tension gradients are caused by the changing composition of the SiO 2 thin film due to dissolution of the TiO2 substrate into the film.;Surfaces of ceria (CeO2) particles have been studied by electron energy-loss spectroscopy. All the ceria particles analyzed contained Ce 3+ at the surface. Cation impurities were enriched at the surface of the particles. Time series investigations indicate that fluorine substitutes on the oxygen sublattice and is charged balanced by some cerium changing from Ce4+ to Ce3+.