Formation of Nickel Oxide Nanocuboids in Ferromagnetic La(2)Ni(1−x)Mn(1+x)O(6)

The control of the spontaneous formation of nanostructures at the surface of thin films is of strong interest in many different fields, from catalysts to microelectronics, because surface and interfacial properties may be substantially enhanced. Here, we analyze the formation of nickel oxide nanocuboids on top of La(2)Ni(1−x)Mn(1+x)O(6) double perovskite ferromagnetic thin films, epitaxially grown on SrTiO(3) (001) substrates by radio-frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering. We show that, by annealing the films at high temperature under high oxygen partial pressure, the spontaneous segregation of nanocuboids is enhanced. The evolution of the structural and magnetic properties of the films is studied as a function of the annealing treatments at different temperatures. It is shown that the formation of NiOx nanocuboids leads to a nanostructured film surface with regions of locally different electrical transport characteristics.