Induced Ferromagnetism in Epitaxial Uranium Dioxide Thin Films
Abstract Actinide materials have various applications that range from nuclear energy to quantum computing. Most current efforts have focused on bulk actinide materials. Tuning functional properties by using strain engineering in epitaxial thin films is largely lacking. Using uranium dioxide (UO2) as...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2022-11-01
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| Series: | Advanced Science |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202203473 |
| _version_ | 1811304696834424832 |
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| author | Yogesh Sharma Binod Paudel Amanda Huon Matthew M. Schneider Pinku Roy Zachary Corey Rico Schönemann Andrew C. Jones Marcelo Jaime Dmitry A. Yarotski Timothy Charlton Michael R. Fitzsimmons Quanxi Jia Michael T. Pettes Ping Yang Aiping Chen |
| author_facet | Yogesh Sharma Binod Paudel Amanda Huon Matthew M. Schneider Pinku Roy Zachary Corey Rico Schönemann Andrew C. Jones Marcelo Jaime Dmitry A. Yarotski Timothy Charlton Michael R. Fitzsimmons Quanxi Jia Michael T. Pettes Ping Yang Aiping Chen |
| author_sort | Yogesh Sharma |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Actinide materials have various applications that range from nuclear energy to quantum computing. Most current efforts have focused on bulk actinide materials. Tuning functional properties by using strain engineering in epitaxial thin films is largely lacking. Using uranium dioxide (UO2) as a model system, in this work, the authors explore strain engineering in actinide epitaxial thin films and investigate the origin of induced ferromagnetism in an antiferromagnet UO2. It is found that UO2+x thin films are hypostoichiometric (x<0) with in‐plane tensile strain, while they are hyperstoichiometric (x>0) with in‐plane compressive strain. Different from strain engineering in non‐actinide oxide thin films, the epitaxial strain in UO2 is accommodated by point defects such as vacancies and interstitials due to the low formation energy. Both epitaxial strain and strain relaxation induced point defects such as oxygen/uranium vacancies and oxygen/uranium interstitials can distort magnetic structure and result in magnetic moments. This work reveals the correlation among strain, point defects and ferromagnetism in strain engineered UO2+x thin films and the results offer new opportunities to understand the influence of coupled order parameters on the emergent properties of many other actinide thin films. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T08:11:59Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-e9001d064a6f4fc8b9f5b1757aa31d07 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2198-3844 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T08:11:59Z |
| publishDate | 2022-11-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Advanced Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-e9001d064a6f4fc8b9f5b1757aa31d072022-12-22T02:54:57ZengWileyAdvanced Science2198-38442022-11-01933n/an/a10.1002/advs.202203473Induced Ferromagnetism in Epitaxial Uranium Dioxide Thin FilmsYogesh Sharma0Binod Paudel1Amanda Huon2Matthew M. Schneider3Pinku Roy4Zachary Corey5Rico Schönemann6Andrew C. Jones7Marcelo Jaime8Dmitry A. Yarotski9Timothy Charlton10Michael R. Fitzsimmons11Quanxi Jia12Michael T. Pettes13Ping Yang14Aiping Chen15Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) Los Alamos National Laboratory Los Alamos NM 87545 USACenter for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) Los Alamos National Laboratory Los Alamos NM 87545 USANeutron Scattering Division Oak Ridge National Laboratory Oak Ridge TN 37831 USAMaterials Science and Technology Division Los Alamos National Laboratory Los Alamos NM 87545 USADepartment of Materials Design and Innovation University at Buffalo The State University of New York Buffalo NY 14260 USADepartment of Materials Design and Innovation University at Buffalo The State University of New York Buffalo NY 14260 USANational High Magnetic Field Laboratory (NHMFL) Los Alamos National Laboratory Los Alamos NM 87545 USACenter for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) Los Alamos National Laboratory Los Alamos NM 87545 USANational High Magnetic Field Laboratory (NHMFL) Los Alamos National Laboratory Los Alamos NM 87545 USACenter for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) Los Alamos National Laboratory Los Alamos NM 87545 USANeutron Scattering Division Oak Ridge National Laboratory Oak Ridge TN 37831 USANeutron Scattering Division Oak Ridge National Laboratory Oak Ridge TN 37831 USADepartment of Materials Design and Innovation University at Buffalo The State University of New York Buffalo NY 14260 USACenter for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) Los Alamos National Laboratory Los Alamos NM 87545 USAGlenn T. Seaborg Institute Los Alamos National Laboratory Los Alamos NM 87545 USACenter for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT) Los Alamos National Laboratory Los Alamos NM 87545 USAAbstract Actinide materials have various applications that range from nuclear energy to quantum computing. Most current efforts have focused on bulk actinide materials. Tuning functional properties by using strain engineering in epitaxial thin films is largely lacking. Using uranium dioxide (UO2) as a model system, in this work, the authors explore strain engineering in actinide epitaxial thin films and investigate the origin of induced ferromagnetism in an antiferromagnet UO2. It is found that UO2+x thin films are hypostoichiometric (x<0) with in‐plane tensile strain, while they are hyperstoichiometric (x>0) with in‐plane compressive strain. Different from strain engineering in non‐actinide oxide thin films, the epitaxial strain in UO2 is accommodated by point defects such as vacancies and interstitials due to the low formation energy. Both epitaxial strain and strain relaxation induced point defects such as oxygen/uranium vacancies and oxygen/uranium interstitials can distort magnetic structure and result in magnetic moments. This work reveals the correlation among strain, point defects and ferromagnetism in strain engineered UO2+x thin films and the results offer new opportunities to understand the influence of coupled order parameters on the emergent properties of many other actinide thin films.https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202203473actinide materialsepitaxylattice‐strainmagnetismthin filmsuranium dioxide |
| spellingShingle | Yogesh Sharma Binod Paudel Amanda Huon Matthew M. Schneider Pinku Roy Zachary Corey Rico Schönemann Andrew C. Jones Marcelo Jaime Dmitry A. Yarotski Timothy Charlton Michael R. Fitzsimmons Quanxi Jia Michael T. Pettes Ping Yang Aiping Chen Induced Ferromagnetism in Epitaxial Uranium Dioxide Thin Films Advanced Science actinide materials epitaxy lattice‐strain magnetism thin films uranium dioxide |
| title | Induced Ferromagnetism in Epitaxial Uranium Dioxide Thin Films |
| title_full | Induced Ferromagnetism in Epitaxial Uranium Dioxide Thin Films |
| title_fullStr | Induced Ferromagnetism in Epitaxial Uranium Dioxide Thin Films |
| title_full_unstemmed | Induced Ferromagnetism in Epitaxial Uranium Dioxide Thin Films |
| title_short | Induced Ferromagnetism in Epitaxial Uranium Dioxide Thin Films |
| title_sort | induced ferromagnetism in epitaxial uranium dioxide thin films |
| topic | actinide materials epitaxy lattice‐strain magnetism thin films uranium dioxide |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202203473 |
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