Water-Soluble Sacrificial Layer of Sr<sub>3</sub>Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>6</sub> for the Synthesis of Free-Standing Doped Ceria and Strontium Titanate

Epitaxial layers of water-soluble Sr<sub>3</sub>Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>6</sub> were fabricated as sacrificial layers on SrTiO<sub>3</sub> (100) single-crystal substrates using the Pulsed Laser Deposition technique. This approach envisages the possibility...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Simone Sanna, Olga Krymskaya, Antonello Tebano
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-02-01
Series:Applied Sciences
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/4/2192
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Summary:Epitaxial layers of water-soluble Sr<sub>3</sub>Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>6</sub> were fabricated as sacrificial layers on SrTiO<sub>3</sub> (100) single-crystal substrates using the Pulsed Laser Deposition technique. This approach envisages the possibility of developing a new generation of micro-Solid Oxide Fuel Cells and micro-Solid Oxide Electrochemical Cells for portable energy conversion and storage devices. The sacrificial layer technique offers a pathway to engineering free-standing membranes of electrolytes, cathodes, and anodes with total thicknesses on the order of a few nanometers. Furthermore, the ability to etch the SAO sacrificial layer and transfer ultra-thin oxide films from single-crystal substrates to silicon-based circuits opens possibilities for creating a novel class of mixed electronic and ionic devices with unexplored potential. In this work, we report the growth mechanism and structural characterization of the SAO sacrificial layer. Epitaxial samarium-doped ceria films, grown on SrTiO3 substrates using Sr<sub>3</sub>Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>6</sub> as a buffer layer, were successfully transferred onto silicon wafers. This demonstration highlights the potential of the sacrificial layer method for integrating high-quality oxide thin films into advanced device architectures, bridging the gap between oxide materials and silicon-based technologies.
ISSN:2076-3417