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To the best of our knowledge, we report for the first time the growth of brownmillerite Ca$_2$Fe$_2$O$_5$ (CFO) single crystals under Argon (Ar) only ambience by optical floating zone (OFZ) technique and compare its structural andspectroscopic properties with CFO single crystals grown by OFZ method under air and oxygen (O$_2$) atmospheres. Singlecrystal X-ray diffraction confirms growth of Ca$_2$Fe$_2$O$_5$ single crystals in all the atmospheres. Crystals grown in air andoxygen (O$_2$) atmospheres show both metallic Fe$^0$ and Fe$^{3+}$states, whereas in Ar-grown crystals only Fe$^{3+}$ oxidation state is observed. An enhancement in oxygen vacancies is also observed in Ar-grown crystals. Growth ambience is found tohave a strong influence on cationic environment and binding energy of constituent elements, as is evident from the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy of the Ca$_2$Fe$_2$O$_5$ crystals.
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Bulletin of Materials Science
Volume 46, 2023
All articles
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