The mineral fresnoite (Ba2TiSi2O8)was discovered in California in 1965, and has become increasingly interesting to chemists because of its luminescence, non-linear optic and ferroelectic properties. In this work the authors examine the understudied films of these minerals, focussing on their growth using pulsed laser deposition, which hasn’t been done before.
Lorenz and coworkers found that the fresnoite films had high photoluminescence intensity, and were able to use a laser to ‘write’ on the films, which induced local crystallisation. They think this will open the door for many applications of their films, including potentially ‘security features against product piracy or individualized branding of products’.
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Fresnoite thin films grown by pulsed laser deposition: photoluminescence and laser crystallization
Alexander Müller, Michael Lorenz, Kerstin Brachwitz, Jörg Lenzner, Kai Mittwoch, Wolfgang Skorupa, Marius Grundmann and Thomas Höche
CrystEngComm, 2011, DOI: 10.1039/C1CE05265A
