Electrodeposited Ceramic Single Crystals
Jay A. Switzer,
*
Mark G. Shumsky,
Eric W. Bohannan
Single-crystal films are essential for devices because the
intrinsic properties of the material, rather than its grain boundaries, can be exploited. Cubic bismuth oxide has the highest known oxide ion
mobility, which makes it useful for fuel cells and sensors, but it is
normally only stable from 729° to 825°C. The material has not been
previously observed at room temperature. Single-crystal films of the
high-temperature cubic polymorph of bismuth oxide were epitaxially
electrodeposited from an aqueous solution onto single-crystal gold
substrates. The 35.4 percent lattice mismatch was accommodated by
forming coincidence lattices in which the bismuth oxide film was
rotated in relation to the gold substrate. These results provide a
method for producing other nonequilibrium phases that cannot be
accessed by traditional thermal processing.
University of Missouri-Rolla, Department of Chemistry and
Graduate Center for Materials Research, Rolla, MO 65409-1170, USA.
*
To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail:
jswitzer{at}umr.edu
