Include Product Page MgAl2O4_Material Information
- Name: Spinel, MgAlO4
- Lattice parameter:a=8.0898 Å (½ a - 4.0499 Å)
- Crystal Structure: Cubic, Spinel
- Commonly used as substrate for: spinels (e.g. CoCr2O4, CoFe2O4, NiFe2O4, CuCr2O4, SnFe2O4, ZnGa2O4)Perovskites (e.g. BSTO), YBCO, VOx & III-V nitride films
- Surface Roughness: Ra <0.5 nm (measured 5x5 µm AFM scan)
- Available Dimensions: 5x5 mm to 2 inch diameter and customized
- Single or double side polished
- Next day delivery
Magnesium aluminate (MgAl2O4) single crystals are commonly used to support the growth of other spinel films, however they are also used to make some perovskites such as BSTO and YBCO as well as III-V nitride films
MgAl2O4 is highly transparent in the visible spectrum (>85% above 300 nm). If you are planning to us in transmission experiments then please get the double sided option above. Spinel is a very hard material with a Mohs hardness of 7.5-8 with no cleavage planes so can be difficult to cleave on the benchtop with straight clean edges. We suggest to cut with a diamond saw or have us cut into the sizes you need.
The Spinel Group
Whilst here we are referring to the material which gives the spinel groups its name, it is worth mentioning here the general class of spinel materials as these are the films which are often grown on MgAl2O4 substrates. Spinel group materials have general formulation AB2X4, with the X anions (typically chalcogens, like oxygen and sulphur) arranged in a cubic close-packed lattice and the cations A and B occupying some or all of the octahedral and tetrahedral sites in the lattice. Although the charges of A and B in the prototypical spinel structure are +2 and +3, respectively (A=2+, B= 3+, X=2−), other combinations incorporating divalent, trivalent, or tetravalent cations are also possible. The anion is typically oxygen.
