Ion-beam irradiation of lanthanum compounds in the systems La2O3-Al2O3 and La2O3-TiO2

Thin crystals of La2O3, LaAlO3, La2/3TiO3, La2TiO5, and La2Ti2O7 have been irradiated in situ using 1 MeV Kr2+ ions at the Intermediate Voltage Electron Microscope-Tandem User Facility (IVEM-Tandem), Argonne National Laboratory (ANL). We observed that La2O3 remained crystalline to a fluence greater than 3.1 x 10(16) ions cm(-2) at a temperature of 50 K. The four binary oxide compounds in the two systems were observed through the crystalline-amorphous transition as a function of ion fluence and temperature. Results from the ion irradiations give critical temperatures for amorphisation (T-c) of 647 K for LaAlO3, 840 K for La2Ti2O7, 865 K for La2/3TiO3, and 1027 K for La2TiO5. The T-c values observed in this study, together with previous data for Al2O3 and TiO2, are discussed with reference to the melting points for the La2O3-Al2O3 and La2O3-TiO2 systems and the different local environments within the four crystal structures. Results suggest that there is an observable inverse correlation between T-c and melting temperature (T-m) in the two systems. More complex relationships exist between , and crystal structure, with the stoichiometric perovskite LaAlO3 being the most resistant to amorphisation. (C) 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.