Novel epitaxial growth of barium titanate thin films by electrodeposition

Electrodeposition was used to grow epitaxially BaTiO3 thin films on SrTiO3 single-crystal substrates with La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 (LSMO) conducting buffer layers. The epitaxial films appeared to consist of very small (less than or equal to 10 nm) particles. The film completely covered the substrate when the reaction was performed at temperatures between 60 and 90 degreesC with LSMO potentials of -0.5 to -1.0 V against a Pt counter-electrode. It appeared that an electrophoretic force, acting on BaTiO3 nuclei within the solution, facilitated the deposition of the film.