Anodic electrodeposition of K–Pb–Tl–O crystals from molten salts

Crystals of K–Pb–Tl–O complex oxides were electrodeposited on the anode from molten salts by using the constant-current electrolysis method. The resulting crystals show a multilayer structure with resolvable layer thicknesses of about 50 nm. Energy dispersive X-ray analysis and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyses indicate that the elemental composition of the anodic crystals is K, Pb, Tl and O. The preliminary X-ray diffraction results show that the major K–Pb–Tl–O phase has an orthorhombic structure. Resistivity measurements reveal that the K–Pb–Tl–O complex oxides have high conductivity. The valence band spectra of the K–Pb–Tl–O oxides show that the center of the valence band is at about 2.5–3 eV, and the density of states at the Fermi level can be observed.