A comparative study on pyrochlore phase formation in La₂Zr₂O₇ in microscopic and macroscopic scale

Atomic scale study has been carried out to probe the pyrochlore phase formation in local scale and compare it with the long range ordering. Lanthanum zirconate (La₂Zr₂O₇) pyrochlore was synthesized by wet chemistry and characterized by X-ray diffraction to study the long range ordering. Time Differential Perturbed γ-γ Angular Correlation (TDPAC) Spectroscopy was performed to identify the pyrochlore phase formation in local scale. Electron paramagnetic resonance and Photo-luminescence spectroscopic studies were used to identify the defects in local scale. Role of annealing and defects in nucleation of pyrochlore phase has been explored in the present study. An early identification of pyrochlore phase was successfully done by TDPAC spectroscopy. (author)