Modelling the structure of disordered cerium oxide thin films

Cerium oxide is an interesting mixed valence compound of great technological importance. We model the growth of thin films of this substance by describing the statistical nucleation of atomic units containing Ce3+ and Ce4+. The theoretical results are compared with available experimental values of the magnetic susceptibility of the material, which is related to the proportion of magnetic atoms in the solid. The model is able to predict the composition of the final solid under different preparation conditions, namely the oxygen content of the precursor and the temperature of the substrate.