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Growth of magnesio-aluminate spinel in thin-film geometry: in situ monitoring using synchrotron X-ray diffraction and thermodynamic model

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Abstract

Polycrystalline spinel layers were grown experimentally at the contacts between single-crystal corundum substrates and initially amorphous, then polycrystalline MgO thin films. The growth behavior of the spinel layers was monitored in situ using synchrotron X-ray diffraction. The change in the integrated intensity of the 111 spinel Bragg peak was correlated with the thickness of the layer as determined from ex situ TEM characterization of the run products. At \(900\,^{\circ }\hbox {C},\) a transition from linear growth, corresponding to interface reaction control, to parabolic growth, corresponding to diffusion control, occurred at a layer thickness of less than 10 nm. At 1,000 \(^{\circ }\hbox {C},\) growth was largely linear up to a layer thickness in excess of 300 nm. A thermodynamic model was applied to extract the kinetic parameters characterizing interface motion and long-range diffusion from this growth behavior.

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Acknowledgments

The EDDI beamline scientists M. Klaus and C. Genzel are thanked for the assistance, and R. Gunder is acknowledged for helping out during the in situ experiments. A. Schreiber and S. Gehrmann from the GFZ are acknowledged for the FIB extraction of TEM foils and substrate preparation, respectively. Two anonymous reviewers are thanked for providing valuable comments. This work was funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, projects SCHO 670/9-1 and AB 314/2-1, both in the framework of the research group FOR 741.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Geological Sciences, Freie Universität Berlin, Malteserstr. 74-100, 12249 , Berlin, Germany

    L. C. Götze, R. Milke & S. Schorr

  2. Department of Lithospheric Research, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 , Vienna, Austria

    R. Abart

  3. Helmholtz Center Berlin for Materials and Energy GmbH, Berlin, Germany

    S. Schorr & I. Zizak

  4. Institute of Geology, Mineralogy and Geophysics, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, 44780 , Bochum, Germany

    R. Dohmen

  5. GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Telegrafenberg, 14473 , Potsdam, Germany

    R. Wirth

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  1. L. C. Götze
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Correspondence to L. C. Götze.

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Götze, L.C., Abart, R., Milke, R. et al. Growth of magnesio-aluminate spinel in thin-film geometry: in situ monitoring using synchrotron X-ray diffraction and thermodynamic model. Phys Chem Minerals 41, 681–693 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00269-014-0682-0

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