High-Entropy Perovskite Thin Film in the Gd-Nd-Sm-La-Y-Co System: Deposition, Structure and Optoelectronic Properties
Paweł A. Krawczyk, Wojciech Salamon, Mateusz Marzec, Michał Szuwarzyński, Jakub Pawlak, J. Kanak, M. Dziubaniuk, Władysław W. Kubiak, Antoni Żywczak
Abstract
Multicomponent equimolar perovskite oxides (ME-POs) have recently emerged as a highly promising class of materials with unique synergistic effects, making them well-suited for applications in such areas as photovoltaics and micro- and nanoelectronics. High-entropy perovskite oxide thin film in the (Gd0.2Nd0.2La0.2Sm0.2Y0.2)CoO3 (RECO, where RE = Gd0.2Nd0.2La0.2Sm0.2Y0.2, C = Co, and O = O3) system was synthesized via pulsed laser deposition. The crystalline growth in an amorphous fused quartz substrate and single-phase composition of the synthesized film was confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Surface conductivity and activation energy were determined using a novel technique implementing atomic force microscopy (AFM) in combination with current mapping. The optoelectronic properties of the deposited RECO thin film were characterized using UV/VIS spectroscopy. The energy gap and nature of optical transitions were calculated using the Inverse Logarithmic Derivative (ILD) and four-point resistance method, suggesting direct allowed transitions with altered dispersions. The narrow energy gap of RECO, along with its relatively high absorption properties in the visible spectrum, positions it as a promising candidate for further exploration in the domains of low-energy infrared optics and electrocatalysis.