An Evaluation of Nanoparticle Distribution in Solution-Derived YBa<sub>2</sub>Cu<sub>3</sub>O<sub>7−</sub><sub>δ</sub> Nanocomposite Thin Films by XPS Depth Profiling in Combination with TEM Analysis
Els Bruneel,
Hannes Rijckaert,
Javier Diez Sierra,
Klaartje De Buysser,
Isabel Van Driessche
Affiliations
Els Bruneel
Sol-Gel Centre for Research on Inorganic Powders and Thin Films Synthesis (SCRiPTS), Department of Chemistry, Ghent University, Krijgslaan 281-S3, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
Hannes Rijckaert
Sol-Gel Centre for Research on Inorganic Powders and Thin Films Synthesis (SCRiPTS), Department of Chemistry, Ghent University, Krijgslaan 281-S3, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
Javier Diez Sierra
Sol-Gel Centre for Research on Inorganic Powders and Thin Films Synthesis (SCRiPTS), Department of Chemistry, Ghent University, Krijgslaan 281-S3, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
Klaartje De Buysser
Sol-Gel Centre for Research on Inorganic Powders and Thin Films Synthesis (SCRiPTS), Department of Chemistry, Ghent University, Krijgslaan 281-S3, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
Isabel Van Driessche
Sol-Gel Centre for Research on Inorganic Powders and Thin Films Synthesis (SCRiPTS), Department of Chemistry, Ghent University, Krijgslaan 281-S3, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
This work discusses the development of an analysis routine for evaluating the nanoparticle distribution in nanocomposite thin films. YBa2Cu3O7−δ (YBCO) nanocomposite films were synthesized via a chemical solution deposition approach starting from colloidal YBCO solutions with preformed nanoparticles. The distribution of the nanoparticles and interlayer diffusion are evaluated with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) depth profiling and compared with cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images. It is shown that the combination of both techniques deliver valuable information on the film properties as nanoparticle distribution, film thickness and interlayer diffusion.
