Lanthanum-cerium oxide (LCO) films were deposited on Ni-5%W substrates by chemical solution deposition (CSD) from water-based precursors. LCO films containing different ratios of lanthanum and cerium ions (from CeO 2 to La 2 Ce 2 O 7 ) were prepared. The composition of the layers was optimized towards the formation of LCO buffer layers, lattice-matched with the superconducting YBa 2 Cu 3 O y layer, useful for the development of coated conductors. Single, crack-free LCO layers with a thickness of up to 140 nm could be obtained in a single deposition step. The crystallinity and microstructure of these lattice-matched LCO layers were studied by X-ray diffraction techniques, RHEED and SEM. We find that only layers with thickness below 100 nm show a crystalline top surface although both thick and thin layers show good biaxial texture in XRD. On the most promising layers, AFM and (S)TEM were performed to further evaluate their morphology. The overall surface roughness varies between 3.9 and 7.5 nm, while the layers appear much more dense than the frequently used La 2 Zr 2 O 7 (LZO) systems, showing much smaller nanovoids (1-2 nm) than the latter system. Their effective buffer layer action was studied using XPS. The thin LCO layers supported the growth of superconducting YBCO deposited using PLD methods.

Visible light induced degradation of methyl orange using β -Ag 0.333 V 2 O 5 nanorod catalysts by facile thermal decomposition method, Journal of Saudi Chemical Society (2015), doi: http://dx.Abstract One dimensional nanorods of β-Ag 0.333 V 2 O 5 have been synthesized by facile thermal decomposition method without using any additives. The prepared sample was characterized by different physical and chemical techniques such as XRD, FE-SEM, TEM, DRS and XPS. The photocatalytic activity of β-Ag 0.333 V 2 O 5 catalyst was investigated by studying the degradation of methyl orange (MO) in aqueous medium under visible light exposure. The result shows β-Ag 0.333 V 2 O 5 exhibits outstanding photocatalytic activity under the visible light illumination.

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Lanthanum zirconate (LZO) films from water-based precursors were deposited on Ni-5%W tape by chemical solution deposition. The buffer capacity of these layers includes the prevention of Ni oxidation of the substrate and Ni penetration towards the YBCO film which is detrimental for the superconducting properties. X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy depth profiling was used to study the barrier efficiency before and after an additional oxygen annealing step, which simulates the thermal treatment for YBCO thin film synthesis. Measurements revealed that the thermal treatment in presence of oxygen could severely increase Ni diffusion. Nonetheless it was shown that from the water-based precursors’ buffer layers with sufficient barrier capacity towards Ni penetration could be synthesized if the layers meet a certain critical thickness and density.

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