Multi-scale investigation of heterogeneous swift heavy ion tracks in stannate pyrochlore

Er2Sn2O7 pyrochlore was irradiated with swift heavy Au ions (2.2 GeV), and the induced structural modifications were systematically examined using complementary characterization techniques including transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and neutron total scattering with pair distribution function (PDF) analysis. Each technique probes different aspects and length scales of the transformed material regions. TEM revealed a core-shell ion track structure-an amorphous core surrounded by a disordered, anion-deficient fluorite shell-which was confirmed by XRD. Neutron total scattering, with sensitivity to the oxygen sublattice, provided relative fractions of amorphous and disordered fluorite phases and confirmed the presence of a defective pyrochlore phase, which largely maintains its structural ordering but is clearly distinct from the pristine pyrochlore matrix. This defect-rich pyrochlore phase forms a halo extending radially beyond the well-characterized core-shell track morphology observed in electron micrographs. Despite their differing long-range periodicity, the short-range structures of the amorphous, disordered, and defective pyrochlore phases are all modeled well with a weberite-type configuration. Evolution of the phase fractions with increasing ion fluence was examined to ascertain the phase-to-phase pathways that occur during primary and secondary ion impact. This approach extends knowledge about the multi-scale response of stannate pyrochlores to swift heavy ion irradiation in the electronic energy loss regime and improves existing track-overlap models.

Automated summary

Er2Sn2O7 pyrochlore irradiated with swift heavy Au ions undergoes core-shell ion track structure modifications, including an amorphous core and disordered fluorite shell. Neutron total scattering indicates the presence of defective pyrochlore phase, showing different short-range structures modeled with a weberite-type configuration. The study improves existing track-overlap models in understanding the multi-scale response of stannate pyrochlores to swift heavy ion irradiation.