Macro-Equimolar High Entropy Oxide Perovskites with Low Thermal Conductivity
LONGKUMER I. 1, GANDHE H. 1, GANDHI A. 1
1 IIT Bombay, Mumbai, India
Multicomponent equimolar oxide (MEO) ceramics with perovskite structure were synthesized following the concept of high entropy oxides, where 5 or more than 5 cations are present in the cation sublattice(s) of the structure. Here, compositions having 6-8 different cations in equimolar proportions have been synthesized using the solution combustion method. The perovskite crystal structure has been chosen for the structural basis of the oxides, and the cations are selected for each composition based on the Pauling’s rules. The chosen cations are Al3+, Ba2+, Ca2+, Cr3+, Gd3+, La3+, Sr2+, Ti4+ and Zr4+. The theoretical calculation of Goldschmidt’s tolerance factor has also been taken into consideration and fixed between 0.9 to 1.2 to give an ideal cubic perovskite phase. These multicomponent equimolar oxides were found to form dual cubic perovskite phases. The two phases were identified as the cubic perovskite structure (), with different lattice parameters. The formation of the dual cubic perovskite phases in each composition has been examined, and thorough phase identification as well as compositional identification of the different phases has been carried out. Structure determination from powder X-ray diffraction was carried out using Rietveld refinement. HRTEM imaging, SEM and EDS was used to identify the elemental composition of the dual cubic phases. The complex structure of these high entropy oxides, along with lattice distortions in the crystal due to the multiple cations of various sizes, are expected to decrease the thermal conductivity of these materials significantly. The MEO’s were sintered and their thermal conductivity values were measured, which have been found to be significantly low, ranging from 0.7 W/mK to 2.24 W/mK. Along with a low thermal conductivity, the coefficient of thermal expansion as well as fracture toughness have been measured for possible applications in thermal barrier coatings. The perovskite structure is also interesting for dielectric applications and therefore the dielectric properties have been evaluated using a broadband dielectric spectrometer. The measurements of the complex dielectric constant and electric loss were examined as functions of temperature and frequency in the ranges of 133 K– 473 K and 1 KHz–10 MHz in zero dc bias and small AC test signal. Thus, these MEOs can be further explored for multiple applications in various fields.