In spite of their compositional simplicity, binary conducting oxides such as ZnO, In2O3, SnO2, and VO2 are, in fact, quite complex materials in terms  of their physical, electronic, optical, and chemical properties and behavior. These  complex properties are generally sensitive to and usually vary significantly as a function of the stoichiometry, purity, and defect characteristics of the material. This complexity, variability, and property dependence continues to drive widespread research efforts on these materials � e.g., on VO2 whose metal-insulator transition mechanism is still not well understood.   Single-crystal specimens, in particular, are extremely valuable for carrying out investigations whose goal is to shed new light on both the surface and bulk properties of these intriguing and useful conducting oxides.  Here we describe techniques for the growth of single crystal specimens of ZnO, In2O3, SnO2, and VO2 and present corresponding  results of various recent studies of their surface chemical, structural, and physical characteristics.

Growth and characterization of conducting oxide single crystals for surface science and other studies

245th National Meeting (2013)

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