The ion-irradiation tolerance of the pyrochlore to fluorite Ho (x) Yb (2-x) TiO₅ and Er₂TiO₅ compounds: A TEM comparative study using both in-situ and bulk ex-situ irradiation approaches

Abstract

We refine the crystal structures of a systematic series of compounds with the general composition Ho(x)Yb(2-x)TiO₅ (x = 2, 1.6, 1.2, 1, 0.8, 0.4, 0) and Er₂TiO₅ and find a transition from defect-pyrochlore to defect-fluorite structure with increasing ytterbium content, decreasing lanthanide radius. Short-range structure modulations consisting of pyrochlore-like nano-domains are systematically characterised using transmission electron microscopy. We test the Kr²⁺ 1 MeV ion-irradiation response of Ho2TiO5, HoYbTiO5, Yb2TiO5, and Er₂TiO₅, via the crystalline to amorphous transition observed by using the in-situ TEM approach. The critical dose of amorphisation, Dc, was measured at various temperatures and used to calculate the critical temperature for maintaining crystallinity, Tc. A trend of lower Tc values with decreasing lanthanide radius is found. We describe a new approach for determining Tc values using cross-sectional TEM analysis of ex-situ bulk irradiated, 1 MeV Se+, samples; Ho₂TiO₅, HoYbTiO₅ and Yb₂TiO₅. The results of Dc and Tc values using the two approaches vary; however the trends across the sample system remain the same.