Stabilization of scandium rich spinel ferrite CoFe2−xScxO4 (x≤1) in thin films

Scandium rich cobalt ferrites CoyFe3−x−yScxO4 with y~1 never obtained in bulk could be stabilized in pulsed laser deposited thin films. Scandium contents of up to x=1 are reached. The cell parameter increases versus x as awaited when considering the size of scandium. It is equal to 0.8620 nm for x=1, significantly higher than that of CoFe2O4 (0.8396 nm). The lattice mismatch between the MgO (100) substrate and the scandium-containing spinel leads to an increased roughness. Cobalt is displaced from the octahedral site by Sc and mainly occupies the tetrahedral sites for high x values.

Magnification of the XRD patterns recorded on thin films of CoFe2-xScxO4 for x=0, 0.45, 1 and 1.2, the arrows denote the (004) and (008) diffraction lines of the spinel phaseFigure optionsDownload as PowerPoint slide