Effect of samarium doping on electrodeposited CeO2 thin film

Samarium-doped cerium oxide (CeO2:Sm) and undoped cerium oxide (CeO2) thin films were fabricated by electrodeposition on biaxially textured Ni-3% W substrates. The electrodeposited layers were annealed for several hours at temperatures ranging from 910 to 980 C. The resulting crystalline films were investigated by XRD and SEM. The CeO2 crystallite size was correlated to the formation of microcrack in CeO2 and CeO2:Sm using the Scherrer equation of XRD analysis. Crack-free films with an average grain size of about 28 nm were obtained for both Ce0.92Sm0.08O2-δ and Ce0.8Sm0.2O2-δ films. Sm doping strongly affects the crystallite size, crystal structure, texture, and crack formation in ceria films. The lattice parameter a increases and crystallite size is reduced with increased Sm doping. All electrodeposited films are highly biaxially textured. When compared to Ni-based substrates, improvements in the out-of-plane and in-plane texture in ceria- and Sm-doped ceria films were achieved. (copyright 2006 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)