Ion irradiation of ternary pyrochlore oxides

Abstract

Polycrystalline synthetic samples of Y2Ti2−xSnxO7 with x = 0.4, 0.8, 1.2, and 1.6, together with Nd2Zr2O7, Nd2Zr1.2Ti0.8O7, and La1.6Y0.4Hf2O7, were irradiated in situ in the intermediate voltage electron microscope (IVEM)-Tandem Facility at Argonne National Laboratory using 1.0 MeV Kr ions at temperatures of 50 to 650 K. Determination of the critical amorphization fluence (Fc) as a function of temperature has revealed a dramatic increase in radiation tolerance with increasing Sn content on the pyrochlore B site. Nonlinear least-squares analysis of the fluence-temperature curves gave critical temperatures (Tc) of 666 ± 4, 335 ± 12, and 251 ± 51 K for the Y2Ti2−xSnxO7 samples with x = 0.4, 0.8, and 1.2, respectively. The sample with x = 1.6 appears to disorder to a defect fluorite structure at a fluence below 1.25 × 1015 ions cm−2 and remains crystalline to 5 × 1015 ions cm−2 at 50 K. Additionally, the critical fluence-temperature response curves were determined for Nd2Zr1.2Ti0.8O7 and La1.6Y0.4Hf2O7, and we obtained Tc values of 685 ± 53 K and 473 ± 52 K, respectively, for these pyrochlores. Nd2Zr2O7 did not become amorphous after a fluence of 2.5 × 1015 ions cm−2 at 50 K, but there is evidence that it may amorphize at a higher fluence, with an estimated Tc of 135 K. The observed Tc results are discussed with respect to the predicted Tc values based upon a previously published empirical model (Lumpkin, G. R.; Pruneda, M.; Rios, S.; Smith, K. L.; Trachenko, K.; Whittle, K. R.; Zaluzec, N. J. J. Solid State Chem. 2007, 180, 1512). In the Y2Ti2−xSnxO7 pyrochlores, Tc appears to be linear with respect to composition, and is linear with respect to rA/rB and x(48f) for all samples investigated herein. © 2009, American Chemical Society