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Title: Stabilizing the B-site oxidation state in ABO 3 perovskite nanoparticles
The stabilization of the B-site oxidation state in ABO 3 perovskites using wet-chemical methods is a synthetic challenge, which is of fundamental and practical interest for energy storage and conversion devices. In this work, defect-controlled (Sr-deficiency and oxygen vacancies) strontium niobium( iv ) oxide (Sr 1−x NbO 3−δ , SNO) metal oxide nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized for the first time using a low-pressure wet-chemistry synthesis. The experiments were performed under reduced oxygen partial pressure to prevent by-product formation and with varying Sr/Nb molar ratio to favor the formation of Nb 4+ pervoskites. At a critical Sr to Nb ratio (Sr/Nb = 1.3), a phase transition is observed forming an oxygen-deficient SrNbO 3 phase. Structural refinement on the resultant diffraction pattern shows that the SNO NPs consists of a near equal mixture of SrNbO 3 and Sr 0.7 NbO 3−δ crystal phases. A combination of Rietveld refinement and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) confirmed the stabilization of the +4 oxidation state and the formation of oxygen vacancies. The Nb local site symmetry was extracted through Raman spectroscopy and modeled using DFT. As further confirmation, the particles demonstrate the expected absorption highlighting their restored optoelectronic properties. This low-pressure wet-chemical approach for stabilizing the oxidation state of a transition metal has the potential to be extended to other oxygen sensitive, low dimensional perovskite oxides with unique properties.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
1709902
PAR ID:
10111619
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ; ; ;
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Nanoscale
Volume:
11
Issue:
30
ISSN:
2040-3364
Page Range / eLocation ID:
14303 to 14311
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
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