Grain growth and surface modification of epitaxial (Ce0.8Gd0.2)1-Zr O2-δ film on NiW substrate

CeO2 films with mixed doping of gadolinium and zirconium were deposited on NiW substrates by chemical solution deposition. The influences of mixed doping on the epitaxial growth and microstructure of films were systematically investigated. The morphological evolution of films with different dwell times was also discussed. The phase formation, texture and surface morphology of (Ce0.8Gd0.2)1-xZrxO2-δ (CGZO) films were characterized by X-ray diffraction and atomic force microscopy. It was noticed that Zr4+ doping had stronger effect on the crystal structure of CeO2 than Gd3+ doping. The increasing doping content of Zr4+ could be favorable for the self-limited grain growth of the CGZO films and promote the lattice match with substrate. Moreover, the sharp texture and smooth surface of CGZO film could be easily acquired by the mixed doping. The results indicated that the (Ce0.8Gd0.2)1-xZrxO2-δ film was beneficial for the subsequent film growth, which could be a candidate buffer layer for the coated conductors.