Journal of the American Ceramic Society, Vol.98, No.7, 2248-2254, 2015
Microdomain Formation, Oxidation, and Cation Ordering in LaCa2Fe3O8+y
The compound LaCa2Fe3O8+y, also known as the Grenier phase, is known to undergo an order-disorder transformation (ODT) at high temperatures and oxidation has been observed when the compound is cooled in air after the ODT. In this study, we have synthesized the Grenier compound in air using traditional solid-state reactions and investigated the structure and composition before and after the ODT. Thermal analysis showed that the material undergoes an ODT in both oxygen and argon atmospheres with dynamic, temperature dependent, oxidation upon cooling. Results from scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) suggest that the Grenier phase has preferential segregation of Ca and La on the two crystallographic A sites before the ODT, but a random distribution above the ODT temperature. Furthermore, STEM images suggest the possibility that oxygen excess may exist in La-rich regions within microdomains rather than at microdomain boundaries.