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 La_0.7Sr_0.3MnO₃ (LSMO) conducting buffer layers. The epitaxial films appeared to consist of very small (ø10 nm) particles. The film completely covered the substrate when the reaction was performed at temperatures between 60 and 90 °C 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.