Examples of high-resolution electron microscopy (HREM) investigation of complex oxides related to perovskite.

The properties of oxides may be drastically influenced by their microstructures. Thus the knowledge of nonstoichiometric mechanisms is an essential tool for the conception of new inorganic compounds by solid-state chemist. Through three chosen examples of complex oxides with perovskite-related structure, these points are illustrated. The new families of phosphate tungsten bronzes, the antiferromagnetic AMn1-xFexO3-y, and the copper oxides LCuO3-x (L = Ba, Y, La) were studied by high-resolution electron microscopy (HREM) in order to analyze the mechanisms of nonstoichiometry, the defects of which can modify their physical properties (magnetism or electronic conductivity) and the factors that govern their stabilization.