Lithium outdiffusion in LiTi2O4 thin films grown by pulsed laser deposition

Surface chemical composition is crucial for the formation of a good metal/insulator interface for integrating LiTi2O4 into full-oxide spin-filtering devices in order to minimize the formation of structural defects and increase the spin polarisation efficiency. In consideration of this, we report a detailed angle resolved x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis. Results show Li segregation at the surface of LiTi2O4 films. We attribute this process due to outdiffusion of Li toward the outermost LiTi2O4 layers.