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Updated: Jan 10, 2026
Molten-Salt Synthesis of Complex Metal Oxide Nanoparticles
Published on: October 27, 2018
Electronic-Structural Phase Correlations in Oxygen-Deficient Hafnia Nanocrystals
Cristina Besleaga1, Mihaela Botea1, Catalin C Negrila1
1National Institute of Materials Physics, Atomistilor 405A, Magurele, 077125, Romania.
None:
Layers of HfO2 and (Hf,Zr)O2 crystalline nano-particles are synthesized via direct liquid injection atomic layer deposition, and a comprehensive set of structural, chemical, and electrical characterizations is employed to elucidate their phase composition and functional behavior. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy revealed a compositional contrast between the films: (Hf,Zr)O2 layers contained up to 45% stoichiometric oxide, while pure HfO2 films are dominated by sub-oxides, especially under strongly reducing conditions, in which exclusively sub-oxide phases and p-type semiconducting behavior is revealed. Electrical measurements indicated room-temperature stabilization of polar phases and tetragonal-to-orthorhombic phase transition with a Curie temperature near 200 K. FTIR spectroscopy confirmed the presence of tetragonal and orthorhombic HfO2 phases, providing insight into minor features observed ≈30° (2θ) in X-ray diffraction patterns. Notably, devices incorporating an AlN interlayer demonstrated a significant enhancement in pyroelectric performance, suggesting this strategy to advance the pyroelectric performance of HfO2-based materials, supporting their development for lead-free sensor technologies.
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