The effect of reactive element on texture and grain boundary character distribution in nickel oxide

Texture and grain boundary character in NiO grown at 1073 K, on pure and CeO2 coated polycrystalline nickel, have been studied. The presence of CeO: substantially reduced the Ni oxidation rate and influenced the NiO texture. While pure NiO exhibits a [110] fibre texture oriented with axis along growth direction, in NiO modified with CeO2 the [100] fibre texture is observed. A numerical analysis of the orientation distribution functions obtained from X-ray measurements indicates that the grain boundary character distribution in NiO did not change essentially after addition of CeO2. This implies that the possible changes in grain boundary structure caused by CeO2 cannot explain the measured differences in growth kinetics between pure and CeO2 modified NiO. A possible role of CeO2 in reduction of NiO growth rate at high temperatures is discussed. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.