Evaluation of structural and electrical properties of multicomponent spinel oxide thin films deposited via spray pyrolysis technique
Bartosz Kamecki, Jakub Karczewski, Grzegorz Cempura, Piotr Jasiński, Sebastian Molin
Abstract
This work reports the preparation of (Mn,Co,Fe,Ni,Cr)3O4 high-entropy spinel oxide in the form of a ~ 500 nm thin film utilising a facile spray pyrolysis technique. The structural and electrical properties of the layers were characterised after exposure to temperatures in the range of 400–900 °C. The as-deposited layers were amorphous, and crystallised upon heat treatment at 500 °C. Microstructural analyses proved a homogeneous elemental distribution and the desired Fd-3 m cubic spinel structure. Electrical conductivity measurements indicated a dependence on the processing temperature, with the highest electrical conductivity values (~3 S cm−1 at 700 °C) obtained for layers heat-treated at 700 °C. The spray pyrolysis technique seems to be well suited to fabricating and exploring spinel-based high-entropy oxides synthesized as thin films, and to studying new compositions containing transition metal cations.