Probing rutile solid-phase crystallization of atomically mixed Mn-alloyed TiO₂ coatings through XANES analysis

Phase transformation via dopant introduction is an emerging strategy for tuning the electronic and catalytic properties of oxides. However, developing a general theory of ternary alloys and their microstructure evolution remains challenging due to the knowledge gaps in how point defects such as dopants lead to the formation of complex or metastable phases. We investigate the influence of Mn concentration and annealing temperature on the microstructure evolution of amorphous Mn-alloyed TiO(2 )synthesized via Atomic Layer Deposition. Our findings reveal a new crystallization pathway resulting in a direct amorphous TiO(2 )to rutile transformation without an intermediate anatase phase and our multi-parameter thermal processing conditions show potential for AI-assisted data acquisition and analysis for studying complex oxide coatings.