Control of nanostructures in manganese spinel oxide

Abstract

Anisotropic self-assembled nanomaterials in transition metal compounds have attracted much attention because of their rich physical properties and structural controllability. Although peculiar sample preparation conditions and high-temperature processing are generally necessary for fabricating anisotropic nanostructures in oxides, nanometer-scale spinodal decomposition in spinel-type manganese oxides results in highly ordered nanostructures through simple heat treatment at relatively low temperatures. In this paper, we introduce recent studies on the formation of checkerboard and lamellar nanostructures comprising Mn-rich tetragonal and Mn-poor cubic nanodomains in manganite spinel (Co,Mn,Fe)₃O₄ annealed at 375 °C.