Stacking Fault Probability Research Articles

Effect of Vanadium-Alloying on Microstructural Evolution and Strengthening Mechanisms of High-Nitrogen Steel Processed by High-Pressure Torsion

We study the effect of high-pressure torsion on the microstructure, phase composition, microhardness, and strengthening mechanisms of high-nitrogen austenitic steels with different vanadium content: Fe-23Cr-19Mn-0.2C-0.5N, Fe-19Cr-21Mn-1.3V-0.3C-0.8N, and Fe-18Cr-23Mn-2.6V-0.3C-0.8N, wt %. Regardless of the chemical composition of the steels, high-pressure torsion (HPT) causes the refinement of their microstructure due to a high density of dislocations, twin boundaries, and shear bands. Vanadium alloying decreases the stacking fault probability in the structure of the steels and changes their dominating deformation mechanism under high-pressure torsion: from planar dislocation slip and twinning in the vanadium-free steel to dislocation slip with a tendency to shear band formation in the vanadium-alloyed steels. An increase in the vanadium content forces precipitation hardening. Thus, after HPT, the V-alloyed steels have a higher microhardness as compared to the vanadium-free one. Different strengthening factors (strain hardening, solid solution hardening, and precipitation strengthening) govern the value and kinetics of growth of microhardness of the steels processed by high-pressure torsion. Vanadium alloying and increasing its content result in the growth of the contribution of precipitation hardening and decreases strain hardening of high-nitrogen steels.

Deformation mechanism of a metastable medium entropy alloy strengthened by the synergy of heterostructure design and cryo-pre-straining

Face-centered cubic (FCC) medium entropy alloys (MEAs) have received considerable attention due to their impressive mechanical properties and responses. However, their practical application is limited by their modest yield strengths. The potential enhancement of the mechanical properties of single-phase MEAs was explored in this study through a synergistic approach combining heterogeneous structure design with subsequent cryo-pre-straining. A heterogeneous lamella structure was produced in a single-phase Fe55Mn20Cr15Ni10 MEA via two-step rolling and annealing. Cryo-pre-straining at varying degrees (6, 12, 21, and 36%) introduced hexagonal close-packed (HCP) phase, high-density dislocations, twins, and stacking faults, leveraging the reduced stacking fault energy at cryogenic temperatures. This process enhanced the alloy's yield strength from 353 MPa to 1.2 GPa (compared to the baseline uniform coarse-grained structure), while maintaining an acceptable total elongation of 8.4%. The impact of cryo-pre-straining on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the MEA was assessed using in-situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction analysis. Cryo-pre-straining (36%) achieved a higher dislocation density (6.1 × 1015m−2) compared to room-temperature straining (2.5 × 1015m−2). The stress contribution from HCP-martensite and the evolution of dislocation density during loading were quantified, along with observations of negative stacking fault probability and strain-induced HCP→FCC reverse transformation in cryo-pre-strained samples under loading conditions. Furthermore, the contributions of regulated microstructures to the enhancement of yield strength were quantitatively assessed.

Plastic deformation and strengthening mechanisms in CoNiCrFe high entropy alloys: The role of lattice site occupancy

The work herein presents the designing of two γʹ strengthened high entropy alloys guided by density function theory (DFT) and thermodynamics calculations with compositions Co34Ni34Cr12Al8Nb3Ti4Fe5 and Co31.5Ni31.5Cr12Al8Nb3Ti4Fe10 (referred as 5Fe and 10Fe). These alloys in the peak aged condition (900 °C for 20 h) exhibit similar precipitates sizes, shapes, volume fractions and γ/γʹ lattice misfit (∼ 0.56). Intriguingly, despite their microstructural similarities, these alloys show different trends in yield strength (YS) evolution over a temperature range. The 5Fe alloy shows a better combination of strength and ductility at room temperature (RT), with YS and elongation of 970 ± 25 MPa, ∼ 18 (%), respectively, in comparison to 850 ± 20 MPa, and ∼ 15(%) in the 10Fe alloy. The precipitate chemistry analyses carried out by 3D atom probe tomography suggest that Fe atoms occupy B-sites in the 5Fe alloy, while it occupies both A and B-sites in the 10Fe alloy. The site occupancy behaviour rendered a higher stacking fault energy (SFE) of the 5Fe alloy, making the γʹ shearing more difficult compared to the 10Fe alloy. The synchrotron X-ray measurements further confirm higher stacking fault (SF) probability in the γ matrix compared to γʹ precipitates in the 5Fe alloy. The role of deformation substructure evolution is also carefully discussed to explain the differences in the high temperature behavior. These results on the effects of alloying chemistry in high entropy alloys enable tuning the mechanical properties of alloys and widening the alloy spectrum with improved high-temperature properties.

Cryogenic tensile behavior of CoNiCrMo medium entropy alloy

The microstructure and mechanical properties of 35Co-34Cr-24Ni-7Mo medium entropy alloy, known as MP35N, were investigated at different cryogenic temperatures (77 K and 195 K) and compared with those at room temperature (295 K). The microstructural features at the mentioned three distinct temperatures were characterized by X-Ray diffraction, electron back skater diffraction analysis and transmission electron microscopy. It was found that, compared to room temperature, cryogenic temperatures significantly increased the yield strength and tensile strength from 330 MPa and 1300 MPa at 295 K to 711 MPa and 1890 MPa at 77 K, respectively, without a noticeable change in elongation. Microstructural investigation revealed that lower deformation temperatures resulted in higher dislocation density, higher stacking fault probability, more mechanical twins, and a more homogeneous dislocation structure. Up to a strain of 0.4, no sign of fcc to hcp phase transformation was observed in EBSD, TEM images, or SAED patterns, even at 77 K. The higher work hardening due to mechanical twinning, increased dislocation density, and lower stacking fault energy, in addition to a more homogeneous dislocation structure, postponed the formation of geometric instabilities and maintained a ductile fracture mechanism at cryogenic temperatures.

Copper effects on the microstructures and deformation mechanisms of CoCrFeNi high entropy alloys

In situ neutron diffraction experiments have been performed to investigate the deformation mechanisms on CoCrFeNi high entropy alloys (HEAs) with various amounts of doped Cu. Lattice strain evolution and diffraction peak analysis were used to derive the stacking fault probability, stacking fault energy, and dislocation densities. Such diffraction analyses indirectly uncovered that a lower degree of Cu doping retained the twinning behavior in undoped CoCrFeNi HEAs, while increasing the Cu content increased the Cu clusterings which suppressed twinning and exhibited prominent dislocation strengthening. These results agree with direct observations by transmission electron microscopy.

PKA Energy dependence of defect evolution in ion irradiated Fe-15Ni-15Cr alloy – a successive cascade study using molecular dynamics simulation

Molecular dynamics has been used to carry out successive cascade simulations on model alloy Fe-Ni-Cr for three distinct primary knock-on atom (PKA) energies to elucidate the earlier experimentally obtained results of ion irradiation studies on SS316 and its Ti-modified version. The PKA energies used for the simulations were calculated using the stopping and range of ions in matter (SRIM-2013) to represent the irradiation of SS316 using 145 MeV Ne, 35 MeV He and 315 keV Ar ions. The simulation has been carried out successively to emulate the progress of irradiation and obtain results as a function of dose. The results for each PKA energy have been analysed to obtain the evolution of defect clusters in terms of their size, different types of dislocations, stacking fault probabilities, etc., in all three cases. The simulation results have been compared with our earlier experimental studies.

Microstructural Parameters of Cold‐Rolled and Annealed Fe–24Mn–3Al–1Ni–2Si–0.06C Steel Obtained by X‐Ray Diffraction

Twinning‐induced plasticity steel is characterized by the presence of twins and austenite at room temperature. In this work, Fe–24Mn–3Al–1Ni–2Si–0.06C steel is cold‐rolled at 30, 50, and 80% thickness reduction and subsequently annealed at temperatures between 300 and 1100 °C for 15 min. The microstructure and hardness are analyzed, and dislocation density, stacking fault, and twin probability are calculated using the diffraction method based on the intensity of X‐rays generated in a synchrotron facility. The Rietveld analysis using Materials Analysis Using Diffraction (MAUD) software is performed, and Popa Model is employed. Cold rolling increases hardness due to the formation of deformation twins, stacking fault, and dislocation in different degrees depending on the thickness reduction. During annealing, recrystallization influences the parameters obtained by X‐Ray diffraction such as stacking fault probability and dislocation density.

Pressure-driven structural transition in CoNi-based multi-principal element alloys

Pressure-driven phase transition in metals has been a hot topic because it is an effective means to induce fresh phase, benefit of tuning the properties of materials. Herein, CoNiFe, CoNiCr, and CoNiV multi-principal element alloys (MPEAs) were investigated by an in situ high-pressure x-ray diffraction technique. It is found that the pressure-induced phase transition from face-centered cubic to hexagonal close-packed phase occurs at 15.60, 13.84, and 8.20 GPa, respectively. The atomic size misfit of CoNiFe, CoNiCr, and CoNiV MPEAs is estimated to be 0.653%, 2.077%, and 3.013%, respectively, illustrating that the lattice distortion degree is increasing. The increase in lattice distortion can decrease the initial phase-transition-pressure because lattice distortion could reduce the strain to nucleate Shockley partial dislocation, which promotes the formation of a stacking fault (SF) stack of three atomic layers with hcp stacking. However, the quantitative calculation of stacking fault probability α as a function of pressure demonstrates that the probability of SF formation gradually increases in order of CoNiFe, CoNiCr, and CoNiV, which is in line with the critical pressure of phase transition decreasing orderly. Furthermore, the first peak in the pair distribution function curve after entirely decompression not fully reverts to its initial state, proving the densification of MPEAs under pressure. These findings provide an innovative light for understanding pressure-induced phase transitions in MPEAs.

Ductility enhancement of additively manufactured CoCrMo alloy via residual stress tailored high stacking fault probability

CoCrMo (CCM) alloys fabricated by laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) normally exhibit low ductility. In the present study, a new plastic deformation mode of residual stress tailored high stacking fault (SF) is proposed for LPBF fabricated CCM alloy, delivering an excellent ductility (∼14.5%) in the as-fabricated state. Elaborate microstructural characterization elucidated that low level of initial residual stress contributes to a high stacking fault probability, generating extensive amounts of SFs to sustain the plastic deformation. Such massive deformation faulting activities mitigated the strain localization between FCC/HCP phase of CCM alloy with high residual stress level. Further low temperature annealing treatment validated the above theory, and increased the ductility to ∼21.4% with a high tensile strength of ∼1181 MPa. The present study demonstrated that the ductility of LPBF fabricated CCM alloy can be significantly enhanced by tuning the internal residual stress and the associated stacking fault probability.

The behaviour and deformation mechanisms for 316L stainless steel deformed at cryogenic temperatures

The microstructural evolution and deformation mechanisms of 316L stainless steel (SS) have been investigated at 297, 173, 50 and 15 K by in situ neutron diffraction during tensile loading and correlative transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The yield strength and ultimate tensile strength of 316L stainless steel are significantly improved at cryogenic temperatures. In contrast to room temperature, deformation-induced martensitic transformation was observed at all cryogenic temperatures. The γ-austenite (FCC) content decreases and α′-martensite (BCC) increases with increasing strain, a fraction of this γ to α′ transformation is accompanied by the transient appearance of ε-martensite (HCP) as an intermediate phase. The maximum volume fraction of ε-martensite increases with decreasing deformation temperature and reaches 13% for deformation at 15 K. TEM results confirm that γ → ε → α′ and γ → α′ martensitic transformations occur during cryogenic deformation, while mechanical twins were observed only at 173 K. The evolution of lattice strain, phase volume fraction, stacking fault probability (SFP) and stacking fault energy (SFE) were quantified to investigate the correlation between deformation mechanisms and mechanical behaviour of 316L SS as a function of deformation temperature.

Microstructure and defect evolution in oxygen ion-irradiated pure nickel – Insights from experimental probes and molecular dynamics simulations

Pure nickel samples were irradiated to various doses by 160 MeV oxygen ions and the change in microstructure (domain size, microstrain, dislocation density etc.) were investigated with the help of X-ray diffraction (XRD) data from synchrotron source and Transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The coherent domain size decreased, whereas the microstrain and dislocation density increased in all irradiated samples as compared to the unirradiated one. However, these parameters showed saturation with increasing dose. The analysis reveals that there is an increase in the stacking fault probability with irradiation. TEM study confirmed the presence of stacking fault tetrahedra and dislocation loops in the irradiated samples. Microhardness measurements show an increase in the hardness with irradiation due to formation of defect clusters and dislocations. The effect of irradiation on the microstructure of the pure Ni has been simulated by molecular dynamics using overlapping simulation cascades of PKA generated by oxygen ion.

In situ synthesis of N-containing CoCrFeNi high entropy alloys with enhanced properties fabricated by selective laser melting

Although there have been extensive studies on CoCrFeNi high entropy alloys (HEAs), they are still far from industrial applications due to their inferior strength. Based on the approach of interstitial atom strengthening which has been shown to be one of the effective ways to modify the properties of metallic materials, a series of (CoCrFeNi)100-xNx (x = 0, 0.25 and 0.50 at. %) HEAs were prepared in this study by selective laser melting (SLM). It was found that nitrogen addition in CoCrFeNi HEA can slightly refine the microstructure but did not change the preferred orientations after SLM. By increasing the nitrogen content in the matrix, the strength increases while the ductility is reduced. Also, the addition of nitrogen in CoCrFeNi HEA can decrease the stacking fault probability, leading to the increased stacking fault energy (SFE) in N-doped CoCrFeNi HEA. The increased strength in N-doped CoCrFeNi HEA samples mainly attributes to the solid solution strengthening of nitrogen, whereas the ductility loss results from the impediment on the formation of deformed twins induced by increased SFE. These results can provide a new strategy for designing high-strength N-doped HEAs.

Competitive strengthening between dislocation slip and twinning in cast-wrought and additively manufactured CrCoNi medium entropy alloys

In situ neutron diffraction experiments have been performed under loading in cast-wrought (CW) and additively manufactured (AM) equiatomic CoCrNi medium-entropy alloys. The diffraction line profile analysis correlated the faulting-embedded crystal structure to the dislocation density, stacking/twin fault probability, and stacking fault energy as a function of strain. The results showed the initial dislocation density of 1.8 × 1013m−2 in CW and 1.3 × 1014m−2 in AM. It significantly increased up to 1.3 × 1015m−2 in CW and 1.7 × 1015m−2 in AM near fracture. The dislocation density contributed to the flow stress of 470 MPa in CW and 600 MPa in AM, respectively. Meanwhile, the twin fault probability of CW (2.7%) was about two times higher than AM (1.3%) and the stacking fault probability showed the similar tendency. The twinning provided strengthening of 360 MPa in CW and 180 MPa in AM. Such a favorable strengthening via deformation twinning in CW and dislocation slip in AM was attributed to the stacking fault energy. It was estimated as 18.6 mJ/m2 in CW and 37.5 mJ/m2 in AM by the strain field of dislocations incorporated model. Dense dislocations, deformation twinning, and atomic-scale stacking structure were examined by using electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM).

An in situ synchrotron X-ray study of reverse austenitic transformation in a metastable FeMnCo alloy

This study concerns reverse austenitic transformation of plastic strain-induced hexagonal close-packed martensite. With the aid of in situ synchrotron X-ray diffractometry, the kinetic features of the transformation and the defect content evolution in a metastable (Fe60Mn40)85Co15 alloy are quantitatively examined using 5, 20, and 100 °C/min heating rates. It is found that the reverse austenitic transformation can be activated below 200 °C and completes within a short time scale. Through a Kissinger-style kinetic analysis, the activation energy of the reverse austenitic transformation is determined as 171.38 kJ/mol, confirming its displacive nature. Although exponential attenuation is observed in both stacking fault probability and dislocation density upon the initiation of the transformation, the resulting microstructure (single-phase face-centered cubic structure) remains highly defected, exhibiting high Vickers hardness, but still preserving somewhat strain hardenability. Atomistic mechanisms for the reverse austenitic transformation are further conceived according to the crystallographic theory of martensitic transformation.Graphical abstract

Quantitative analysis of diffuse electron scattering in the lithium-ion battery cathode material Li1.2Ni0.13Mn0.54Co0.13O2

In contrast to perfectly periodic crystals, materials with short-range order produce diffraction patterns that contain both Bragg reflections and diffuse scattering. To understand the influence of short-range order on material properties, current research focuses increasingly on the analysis of diffuse scattering. This article verifies the possibility to refine the short-range order parameters in submicrometre-sized crystals from diffuse scattering in single-crystal electron diffraction data. The approach was demonstrated on Li1.2Ni0.13Mn0.54Co0.13O2, which is a state-of-the-art cathode material for lithium-ion batteries. The intensity distribution of the 1D diffuse scattering in the electron diffraction patterns of Li1.2Ni0.13Mn0.54Co0.13O2 depends on the number of stacking faults and twins in the crystal. A model of the disorder in Li1.2Ni0.13Mn0.54Co0.13O2 was developed and both the stacking fault probability and the percentage of the different twins in the crystal were refined using an evolutionary algorithm in DISCUS. The approach was applied on reciprocal space sections reconstructed from 3D electron diffraction data since they exhibit less dynamical effects compared with in-zone electron diffraction patterns. A good agreement was achieved between the calculated and the experimental intensity distribution of the diffuse scattering. The short-range order parameters in submicrometre-sized crystals can thus successfully be refined from the diffuse scattering in single-crystal electron diffraction data using an evolutionary algorithm in DISCUS.

Following Cu Microstructure Evolution in CuZnO/Al2O3(−Cs) Catalysts During Activation in H2 using in situ XRD and XRD‐CT

AbstractUnderstanding how the microstructure of the active Cu0 component in the commercially applicable Cu/ZnO/Al2O3(−Cs2O) low‐temperature water‐gas shift catalyst evolves under various H2 partial pressures in the presence/absence of a Cs promoter during thermal activation has been investigated. Time‐resolved XRD and spatially‐resolved XRD‐CT data were measured as a function of H2 concentration along a packed bed reactor to elucidate the importance of the zincite support and the effect of the promoter on Cu sintering mechanisms, dislocation character and stacking fault probability. The rate of Cu reduction showed a dependency on [Cs], [H2] and bed height; lower [Cs] and higher [H2] led to a greater rate of metallic copper nanoparticle formation. A deeper analysis of the XRD line profiles allowed for determining a greater edge character to the dislocations and subsequent stacking fault probability was also observed to depend on higher [H2], smaller Cu0 (and ZnO) crystallite sizes, increased [ZnO] (30 wt.%, sCZA) and lower temperature. The intrinsic activity of Cu/ZnO/Al2O3 methanol synthesis catalysts has been intimately linked to the anisotropic behaviour of copper, and thus the presence of lattice defects; to the best knowledge of the authors, this study is the first instance in which this type of analysis has been applied to LT‐WGS catalysts.

Damping performance and martensitic transformation of rapidly solidified Fe-17%Mn alloy

The rapid solidification of Fe-17%Mn alloy was performed to investigate the influence of cooling rate on its damping performance and martensitic transformation mechanism. A proper heat treatment was also carried out to clarify its coupled effects with rapid solidification. The stacking fault probability and martensitic transformation temperature were determined to demonstrate their relationship with the cooling rate and the heat treatment process. With the increase of cooling rate, the volume fraction of ε-martensite increased and the stacking fault probability of ε-martensite was enhanced. The formation of ε-martensite phase was remarkable for the increase of damping capacity and microhardness. It was found that rapid solidification was beneficial for the formation of ε-martensite and the improvement of damping capacity. This effect can be facilitated by the incorporation of the heat treatment process.

Order-disorder (OD) structures of Rb2Zn(TeO3)(CO3)·H2O and Na2Zn2Te4O11

Abstract Single crystals of the two alkali metal zinc oxidotellurates(IV), Rb2Zn(TeO3)(CO3)·H2O and Na2Zn2Te4O11, were obtained by reactions of mixtures of ZnO, TeO2, Rb2CO3 (molar ratios 2:3:6) and ZnO, TeO2, Na2CO3 (molar ratios 2:3:10), respectively, with small amounts of water as a mineralizer. Both compounds crystallize as order-disorder (OD) structures of layers and feature a high stacking fault probability. The crystal structure of Rb2Zn(TeO3)(CO3)·H2O is composed of layers extending parallel to (100). The structure is composed of two kinds of non-polar OD layers consisting of trigonal-pyramidal [TeO3]2−, tetrahedral [ZnO4]6−, Rb1+, and CO3 2−, H2O, Rb2+, respectively. Different centrings of the layer groups lead to an ambiguity in the stacking arrangement. The crystal structure of Na2Zn2Te4O11 is built from layers extending parallel to (001). Trigonal-pyramidal [TeO3]2− and bisphenoidal [TeO4]4− polyhedra form [Te4O11]6− groups, which are connected by longer Te–O-contacts to form 1 ∞[Te8O22]12− double chains oriented along either [100] or [010]. These chains form non-polar layers, which appear alternatingly in two orientations related by a fourfold rotoinversion. The Zn2+ and Na+ cations are located at the layer interface. The stacking ambiguity is due to different lattices of adjacent layers.

In situ neutron diffraction unravels deformation mechanisms of a strong and ductile FeCrNi medium entropy alloy

• An equiatomic medium entropy FeCrNi alloy with excellent strength-ductility balance at 293 and 15 K was presented. • The single-crystal elastic constants and bulk moduli were calculated by neutron diffraction and density functional theory simulation. • The role of severe lattice distortion and dislocations in strengthening the medium entropy alloy was explored and quantified in 293 and 15 K. • Severe lattice distortion made the greatest contribution to the yield strength of the alloy. We investigated the mechanical and microstructural responses of a high-strength equal-molar medium entropy FeCrNi alloy at 293 and 15 K by in situ neutron diffraction testing. At 293 K, the alloy had a very high yield strength of 651 ± 12 MPa, with a total elongation of 48% ± 5%. At 15 K, the yield strength increased to 1092 ± 22 MPa, but the total elongation dropped to 18% ± 1%. Via analyzing the neutron diffraction data, we determined the lattice strain evolution, single-crystal elastic constants, stacking fault probability, and estimated stacking fault energy of the alloy at both temperatures, which are the critical parameters to feed into and compare against our first-principles calculations and dislocation-based slip system modeling. The density functional theory calculations show that the alloy tends to form short-range order at room temperatures. However, atom probe tomography and atomic-resolution transmission electron microscopy did not clearly identify the short-range order. Additionally, at 293 K, experimental measured single-crystal elastic constants did not agree with those determined by first-principles calculations with short-range order but agreed well with the values from the calculation with the disordered configuration at 2000 K. This suggests that the alloy is at a metastable state resulted from the fabrication methods. In view of the high yield strength of the alloy, we calculated the strengthening contribution to the yield strength from grain boundaries, dislocations, and lattice distortion. The lattice distortion contribution was based on the Varenne-Luque-Curtine strengthening theory for multi-component alloys, which was found to be 316 MPa at 293 K and increased to 629 MPa at 15 K, making a significant contribution to the high yield strength. Regarding plastic deformation, dislocation movement and multiplication were found to be the dominant hardening mechanism at both temperatures, whereas twinning and phase transformation were not prevalent. This is mainly due to the high stacking fault energy of the alloy as estimated to be 63 mJ m −2 at 293 K and 47 mJ m −2 at 15 K. This work highlights the significance of lattice distortion and dislocations played in this alloy, providing insights into the design of new multi-component alloys with superb mechanical performance for cryogenic applications.

Structural, optical, and electrical properties via two simple routes for the synthesis of multi-phase potassium antimony oxide thin films

Multi-phase ternary oxide glass thin films of potassium antimony oxide were synthesized via dip coating (DC) and spray pyrolysis (SP) methods. The growth of thin film was conducted on a non-conductive borosilicate glass substrate. Surface morphology was investigated and showed different characteristics. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis revealed the peaks corresponded to the monoclinic KSb3O5 and K2Sb4O11 phases. The structural parameter analysis shows that the lower values of micro strain (ε), dislocation density (δ), and stacking fault probability (SF) with higher number (N) of particle in the multi-phase thin film for the spray pyrolysis method confirm slightly larger crystallite size, less crystal imperfection, and less structural disorder. The lower average transmission, absorption, and extinction coefficients resulted to higher refractive index, permittivity, and electrical susceptibility for the sample synthesized by a spray pyrolysis method. In addition, the average energy band gap values (Eg) of 3.57 and 3.60 eV were obtained for the dip coating and spray pyrolysis methods, respectively. However, the lower Rs (14.69 × 107 Ω/sq.) with higher σh (85.09 S/cm) and the FOM(H-HR) (0.183 Ω-1) of the multi-phase K–Sb–O thin film for the dip coating method were obtained may be due to more interconnections generated at the interface and there are less residual on the surface of thin film.