Quantification of Crystalline Phases in Hf0.5Zr0.5O2 Thin Films through Complementary Infrared Spectroscopy and Ab Initio Supercell Simulations.

In the quest for thinner and more efficient ferroelectric devices, Hf0.5Zr0.5O2 (HZO) has emerged as a potential ultrathin and lead-free ferroelectric material. Indeed, when deposited on a TiN electrode, 1-25 nm thick HZO exhibits excellent ferroelectricity capability, allowing the prospective miniaturization of capacitors and transistor devices. To investigate the origin of ferroelectricity in HZO thin films, we conducted a far-infrared (FIR) spectroscopic study on 5 HZO films with thicknesses ranging from 10 to 52 nm, both within and out of the ferroelectric thickness range where ferroelectric properties are observed. Based on X-ray diffraction, these HZO films are estimated to contain various proportions of monoclinic (m-), tetragonal (t-), and polar orthorhombic (polar o-) phases, while only the 11, 17, and 21 nm thick are expected to include a higher amount of polar o-phase. We coupled the HZO infrared measurements with DFT simulations for these m-, t-, and polar o-crystallographic structures. The approach used was based on the supercell method, which combines all possible Hf/Zr mixed atomic sites in the solid solution. The excellent agreement between measured and simulated spectra allows assigning most bands and provides infrared signatures for the various HZO structures, including the polar orthorhombic form. Beyond pure assignment of bands, the DFT IR spectra averaging using a mix of different compositions (e.g., 70% polar o-phase +30% m-phase) of HZO DFT crystal phases allows quantification of the percentage of different structures inside the different HZO film thicknesses. Regarding the experimental data analysis, we used the spectroscopic data to perform a Kramers-Kronig constrained variational fit to extract the optical functions of the films using a Drude-Lorentz-based model. We found that the ferroelectric films could be described using a set of about 7 oscillators, which results in static dielectric constants in good agreement with theoretical values and previously reported ones for HfO2-doped ferroelectric films.

Atomic-Scale Surface Segregation in Copper-Gold Nanoparticles.

We combine electron microscopy measurements of the surface compositions in Cu-Au nanoparticles and atomistic simulations to investigate the effect of gold segregation. While this mechanism has been extensively investigated within Cu-Au in the bulk state, it was never studied at the atomic level in nanoparticles. By using energy dispersive x-ray analysis across the (100) and (111) facets of nanoparticles, we provide evidence of gold segregation in Cu_{3}Au and CuAu_{3} nanoparticles in the 10 nm size range grown by epitaxy on a salt surface with high control of the nanoparticles morphology. To get atomic-scale insights into the segregation properties in Cu-Au nanoparticles on the whole composition range, we perform Monte Carlo calculations employing N-body interatomic potentials highlighting a complete segregation of Au in the (100) and (111) facets for gold nominal composition above 70% and 60%, respectively. Furthermore, we show that there is no size effect on the segregation behavior since we evidence the same oscillating concentration profile from the surface to the nanoparticle's core as in the bulk. These results shed new light on the interpretation of the enhanced reactivity, selectivity, and stability of Cu-Au nanoparticles in various catalytic reactions.

Compact A15 Frank-Kasper nano-phases at the origin of dislocation loops in face-centred cubic metals.

It is generally considered that the elementary building blocks of defects in face-centred cubic (fcc) metals, e.g., interstitial dumbbells, coalesce directly into ever larger 2D dislocation loops, implying a continuous coarsening process. Here, we reveal that, prior to the formation of dislocation loops, interstitial atoms in fcc metals cluster into compact 3D inclusions of A15 Frank-Kasper phase. After reaching the critical size, A15 nano-phase inclusions act as a source of prismatic or faulted dislocation loops, dependent on the energy landscape of the host material. Using cutting-edge atomistic simulations we demonstrate this scenario in Al, Cu, and Ni. Our results explain the enigmatic 3D cluster structures observed in experiments combining diffuse X-ray scattering and resistivity recovery. Formation of compact nano-phase inclusions in fcc structure, along with previous observations in bcc structure, suggests that the fundamental mechanisms of interstitial defect formation are more complex than historically assumed and require a general revision. Interstitial-mediated formation of compact 3D precipitates can be a generic phenomenon, which should be further explored in systems with different crystallographic lattices.

Direct Measurement of the Surface Energy of Bimetallic Nanoparticles: Evidence of Vegard's Rulelike Dependence.

We use in situ transmission electron microscopy to monitor in real time the evaporation of gold, copper, and bimetallic copper-gold nanoparticles at high temperature. Besides, we extend the Kelvin equation to two-component systems to predict the evaporation rates of spherical liquid mono- and bimetallic nanoparticles. By linking this macroscopic model to experimental TEM data, we determine the surface energies of pure gold, pure copper, Cu_{50}Au_{50}, and Cu_{25}Au_{75} nanoparticles in the liquid state. Our model suggests that the surface energy varies linearly with the composition in the liquid Cu-Au nanoalloy; i.e., it follows a Vegard's rulelike dependence. To get atomic-scale insights into the thermodynamic properties of Cu-Au alloys on the whole composition range, we perform Monte Carlo simulations employing N-body interatomic potentials. These simulations at a microscopic level confirm the Vegard's rulelike behavior of the surface energy obtained from experiments combined with macroscopic modeling.

Crossover among structural motifs in Pd-Au nanoalloys.

The crossovers among the most abundant structural motifs (icosahedra, decahedra and truncated octahedra) of Pd-Au nanoalloys have been determined theoretically in a size range between 2 and 7 nm and for three compositions equivalent to Pd3Au, PdAu and PdAu3. The chemical ordering and segregation optimisation are performed via Monte Carlo simulations using semi-empirical tight-binding potentials fitted to ab initio calculations. The chemical configurations are then quenched via molecular dynamic simulations in order to compare their energy and characterize the equilibrium structures as a function of the cluster size. For the smaller sizes (of around 300 atoms and fewer) the structures are also optimized at the electronic level within ab initio calculations in order to validate the semi-empirical potential. The predictions of the crossover sizes for the nanoalloys cannot be simply extrapolated from the crossover of the pure nanoparticles but imply stress release phenomena related to the size misfit between the two metals. Indeed, alloying extends the range of stability of the icosahedron beyond that of the pure systems and the energy differences between decahedra and truncated octahedra become asymptotic, around the sizes of 5-6 nm. Nevertheless, such equilibrium results should be modulated regarding kinetic considerations or possible gas adsorption under experimental conditions.

Cu-Ag (111) polymorphism induced by segregation and advacancies.

Chemical and structural phase transitions induced by Ag surface segregation in the dilute Cu(Ag) (111) system have been investigated by Monte Carlo simulations. The polymorphism observed when depositing Ag on Cu (111) is proven to exist also in equilibrium segregation. If the segregation isotherms are not very sensitive to the superstructures, we show that the superstructure observed in the high part of the isotherm depends strongly on the number of advacancies.