The compounds SrPu2Ti4O12, Pu2Ti3O8.79, and Pu2Ti2O7, where plutonium is in the (III) oxidation state, were prepared and identified via X‐ray diffraction (XRD). The solid solubility limit of Pu2Ti2O7 in Ln2Ti2O7 (Ln = Gd, Er, or Lu) was also studied via XRD; it was determined that the solubility of Pu2Ti2O7 increased as the radius of the lanthanide ion in the host compound decreased. Attempts to synthesize Sr2Pu2 Ti5O16 and Sr2Ce2–yPuyTi5O16 solid solutions, where plutonium is in the (IV) oxidation state, were unsuccessful.

A LaAlO3 precursor solution was prepared via an all alkoxide sol-gel route. The solution of lanthanum methoxyethoxide and aluminum methoxyethoxide in 2-methoxyethanol was prepared via ligand exchange starting from lanthanum isopropoxide and aluminum sec-butoxide and was used to make both LaAlO3 powders and films. Complete hydrolysis of the solution formed a gel that yielded well-crystallized LaAlO3 powders when fired in air at 800 °C. A partially hydrolyzed solution was spun-cast on SrTiO3 (100) single crystal substrates. Epitaxial films of LaAlO3 were subsequently formed during pyrolysis in O2 at 800 °C in a rapid thermal annealing furnace for a total of 8 min. The films were strongly c-axis oriented, verified by x-ray rocking curve results from the (003) plane with full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) = 0.87°, and had good in-plane texture shown by a φ scan of the (202) plane with FWHM = 1.07°.

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