XPS Study of Superconducting LiTi2O4 and LiTi2-xCuxO4 Sol-Gel Derived Powders and Thin Films

Abstract

In this work X-ray photoelectron studies of lithium titanate and copper doped lithium titanate are presented. Both, powder and thin lms samples were prepared by sol gel method. After preparation, the samples were heated in argon atmosphere at various temperatures in a range from 500 ◦C to 600 ◦C for 20 h. The crystalline structure of the samples was investigated by X-ray di raction, while the oxidation states of the elements were examined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy method. X-ray di raction measurements con rmed spinel phase of all manufactured samples. However it is well known that electrical and superconducting properties of lithium titanate are strongly correlated not only with structure, but also with oxidation state of Ti ions. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy investigations revealed mixture of Ti3+ and Ti4+ ions, although the Ti3+/Ti4+ ratio is much smaller than 1 2 needed for superconductivity. In this work dependence between calcination temperature as well as amount of Cu dopant and Ti3+/Ti4+ proportion are reported.