Diffusion Reactions at Metal-Oxide Interfaces

This book describes experiments that have been carried out on a model metal-oxide interface to understand diffusion reactions and the effect of an external electric field across the interface. The author has focused on investigating the formation of a reaction phase, morphological changes, and redistribution of ions at the interface. It demonstrates that the morphology, the spatial distribution of ions, and consequently, the metal-oxide bonding can be substantially modified by annealing at elevated temperatures, and that the effect of annealing can be strongly enhanced or hindered by applying an electric field. Since metal-oxide adhesion and the fracture energy sensitively depend on the spatial distribution of atomic species and the interface morphology, the results presented in this book suggest that annealing - in particular under applied electric fields - can have profound effects on the technologically important properties of metal-oxide interfaces.