Modifications of structural and physical properties induced by swift heavy ions in Gd2Ti2O7 and Y2Ti2O7 pyrochlores

The structural transformations induced by ionization processes in Gd2Ti2O7 and Y2Ti2O7 pyrochlores irradiated with swift heavy ions have been studied using XRD and Raman experiments. Results show that irradiation induces amorphization and that the phase transformation build-up can be accounted for in the framework of a model involving a single-impact mechanism. The radiation induced amorphization build-up is faster in Gd2Ti2O7 than in Y2Ti2O7. Moreover, a decrease of the thermal conductivity (measured by the laser flash method) is induced by irradiation both in Gd2Ti2O7 and Y2Ti2O7.