Strain effects on spinodal decomposition in TiO2-VO2 films on TiO2(100) substrates

Abstract We investigate the influence of lattice strain in the c-axis direction on spinodal decomposition in rutile TiO2-VO2 films on TiO2(100) substrates. The [100]-oriented Ti0.4V0.6O2(TVO) solid-solution films are fabricated on rutile TiO2(100) substrates using a pulsed laser deposition with a KrF excimer laser, and are annealed inside the spinodal region. X-ray diffraction and scanning transmission electron microscopy are employed for characterization. Consequently, the in-plane tensile strain in the c-axis direction promotes the Ti-V interdiffusion in TVO/TiO2(100) under thermal annealing. In contrast, relaxation of the tensile strain results in the occurrence of spinodal decomposition along the c-axis direction in the film. These results indicate that the relaxation of the tensile strain in the c-axis direction is critically important for enabling spinodal decomposition in TVO/TiO2(100). Our work helps deepen the understanding of spinodal decomposition in the TVO film and provides information on achieving novel nanostructures via spinodal decomposition in TVO/TiO2(100).