Synthesis Of The Superlattice Complex Oxide Sr5bi4ti8o27 And Its Band Gap Behavior

The n = 8 member of the Aurivillius complex oxide superlattice series of phases, Sr5Bi4Ti8O27, was synthesized by pulsed-laser deposition on (001) SrTiO3 single-crystal substrates. This phase, with a c-axis lattice parameter of 7.25 +/- 0.036 nm, and its purity were confirmed by x-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. The film is observed to be single phase and free of intergrowths of other-n members of the series. Using spectroscopic ellipsometry, Sr5Bi4Ti8O27 was determined to exhibit an indirect band gap of 3.53 eV at room temperature. (C) 2012 American Institute of Physics. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4722942]