Self-assembled multiferroic nanostructures in the Co Fe 2 O 4 -PbTi O 3 system

The effect of substrate orientation on the morphologies of epitaxial self-assembled nanostructures was demonstrated using multiferroic 0.67PbTi O3 -0.33Co Fe2 O4 thin films. The two-phase composite films were grown by pulsed laser deposition on single crystal SrTi O3 substrates having (001) and (110) orientations. The nanostructures of both orientations consisted of vertical rod- or platelet-like columns of Co Fe2 O4 dispersed in a PbTi O3 matrix. For the (001) orientation the platelet habits were parallel to the 110 planes, whereas for the (110) orientation the platelets were parallel to the 111 planes. The differences were explained using a thermodynamic theory of heterophase structures. © 2005 American Institute of Physics.