1
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Wyss RM, Kewes G, Marabotti P, Koepfli SM, Schlichting KP, Parzefall M, Bonvin E, Sarott MF, Trassin M, Oezkent M, Lu CH, Gradwohl KP, Perrault T, Habibova L, Marcelli G, Giraldo M, Vermant J, Novotny L, Frimmer M, Weber MC, Heeg S. Bulk-suppressed and surface-sensitive Raman scattering by transferable plasmonic membranes with irregular slot-shaped nanopores. Nat Commun 2024; 15:5236. [PMID: 38897990 PMCID: PMC11187206 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-49130-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2023] [Accepted: 05/23/2024] [Indexed: 06/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Raman spectroscopy enables the non-destructive characterization of chemical composition, crystallinity, defects, or strain in countless materials. However, the Raman response of surfaces or thin films is often weak and obscured by dominant bulk signals. Here we overcome this limitation by placing a transferable porous gold membrane, (PAuM) on the surface of interest. Slot-shaped nanopores in the membrane act as plasmonic antennas and enhance the Raman response of the surface or thin film underneath. Simultaneously, the PAuM suppresses the penetration of the excitation laser into the bulk, efficiently blocking its Raman signal. Using graphene as a model surface, we show that this method increases the surface-to-bulk Raman signal ratio by three orders of magnitude. We find that 90% of the Raman enhancement occurs within the top 2.5 nm of the material, demonstrating truly surface-sensitive Raman scattering. To validate our approach, we quantify the strain in a 12.5 nm thin Silicon film and analyze the surface of a LaNiO3 thin film. We observe a Raman mode splitting for the LaNiO3 surface-layer, which is spectroscopic evidence that the surface structure differs from the bulk. These results validate that PAuM gives direct access to Raman signatures of thin films and surfaces.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roman M Wyss
- Institut für Physik und IRIS Adlershof, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 12489, Berlin, Germany
- Soft Materials, Department of Materials, ETH Zürich, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Günter Kewes
- Institut für Physik und IRIS Adlershof, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 12489, Berlin, Germany
| | - Pietro Marabotti
- Institut für Physik und IRIS Adlershof, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 12489, Berlin, Germany
| | - Stefan M Koepfli
- Institute of Electromagnetic Fields (IEF), ETH Zürich, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Karl-Philipp Schlichting
- Laboratory of Thermodynamics in Emerging Technologies Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering, ETH Zürich, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland
| | | | - Eric Bonvin
- Photonics Lab, ETH Zürich, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Martin F Sarott
- Department of Materials, ETH Zürich, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Morgan Trassin
- Department of Materials, ETH Zürich, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland
| | | | - Chen-Hsun Lu
- Leibniz-Institut für Kristallzüchtung, 12489, Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Thomas Perrault
- Institut des Molécules et Matériaux du Mans, UMR 6283 CNRS, Le Mans Université, 72085, Le Mans, France
| | - Lala Habibova
- Institut für Physik und IRIS Adlershof, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 12489, Berlin, Germany
| | - Giorgia Marcelli
- Institut für Physik und IRIS Adlershof, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 12489, Berlin, Germany
| | - Marcela Giraldo
- Department of Materials, ETH Zürich, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Jan Vermant
- Soft Materials, Department of Materials, ETH Zürich, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland
| | | | | | - Mads C Weber
- Institut des Molécules et Matériaux du Mans, UMR 6283 CNRS, Le Mans Université, 72085, Le Mans, France
| | - Sebastian Heeg
- Institut für Physik und IRIS Adlershof, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 12489, Berlin, Germany.
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2
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Qi H, Han X, Sui X, Huang B, Xiao H, Qiao L. Impact of Polarity Mismatch in Infinite-Layer Nickelates. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2024; 16:10924-10930. [PMID: 38381125 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.3c16785] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/22/2024]
Abstract
The recent discovery of superconductivity in infinite-layer Sr-doped NdNiO2 grown on SrTiO3(001) provides a new platform to explore the conducting mechanism of unconventional superconductors. However, the electronic structure of infinite-layer nickelates remains controversial. In this paper, we systematically compare the structural and electronic properties of NdNiO2 films grown on SrTiO3 and LaAlO3 substrates using first-principles calculations. Our results show that the lattice reconstruction accompanied by electronic reconstruction occurs in nickelate films on both substrates. Although both heterostructures (HSs) are conducting at the interface, the SrTiO3-based HS shows distinct atomic displacement in the interfacial TiO2 layer and significant electron accumulation deep into three SrTiO3 layers below the interface, while the LaAlO3-based HS shows negligible atomic displacement and electron localization in the interfacial AlO2 layer, reflecting the impact of polarity mismatch on the electronic structure. Further, Wannier function calculations reveal that the interface stress has no obvious effect on the splitting energy and hopping integral between Ni 3d and Nd-layer orbitals. Although the hybridization between Ni 3dx2-y2 and Nd 5d orbitals is tiny, the hybridization between the Ni 3dx2-y2 orbital and an itinerant interstitial s (IIS) orbital is significantly strong in both cases, suggesting that the IIS orbital may play a critical role in the superconductivity of nickelates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hangbo Qi
- School of Physics, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 611731, China
| | - Xiangru Han
- Beijing Computational Science Research Center, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Xuelei Sui
- Beijing Computational Science Research Center, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Bing Huang
- Beijing Computational Science Research Center, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Haiyan Xiao
- School of Physics, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 611731, China
| | - Liang Qiao
- School of Physics, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 611731, China
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3
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Basu R, Kumawat R, Sahu M, Miah AB, Mitra P, Mukherjee GD. Role of electron and hole doping in the NdNi 1-xV xO 3 nanostructure. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2023; 25:31741-31746. [PMID: 37964748 DOI: 10.1039/d3cp01409f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2023]
Abstract
Neodymium nickelate, NdNiO3, attracts attention due to the simultaneous occurrence of several phase transitions around the same temperature. The electronic properties of NdNiO3 are extremely complex as structural distortion, electron correlation, charge ordering, and orbital overlapping play significant roles in the transitions. We report the effects of electron and hole injection via doping a single 3d metal, V, in the NdNiO3 nanostructure to understand the variations in the electronic properties without any structural distortion. A reversible resistivity modulation of more than five orders of magnitude via hole doping and complete suppression of the metal to insulator transition via electron doping is observed along with the switching of major charge carriers. The modulation of electronic properties without any structural distortion and external strain opens up new directions to consider the NdNi1-xVxO3 nanostructures applicable as emerging electronic devices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raktima Basu
- National Centre for High Pressure Studies, Department of Physical Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Kolkata, Mohanpur Campus, Mohanpur 741246, Nadia, West Bengal, India.
| | - Reshma Kumawat
- National Centre for High Pressure Studies, Department of Physical Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Kolkata, Mohanpur Campus, Mohanpur 741246, Nadia, West Bengal, India.
| | - Mrinmay Sahu
- National Centre for High Pressure Studies, Department of Physical Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Kolkata, Mohanpur Campus, Mohanpur 741246, Nadia, West Bengal, India.
| | - Abu Bakkar Miah
- Department of Physical Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Kolkata, Mohanpur Campus, Mohanpur 741246, Nadia, West Bengal, India
| | - Partha Mitra
- Department of Physical Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Kolkata, Mohanpur Campus, Mohanpur 741246, Nadia, West Bengal, India
| | - Goutam Dev Mukherjee
- National Centre for High Pressure Studies, Department of Physical Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Kolkata, Mohanpur Campus, Mohanpur 741246, Nadia, West Bengal, India.
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4
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Goodge BH, Geisler B, Lee K, Osada M, Wang BY, Li D, Hwang HY, Pentcheva R, Kourkoutis LF. Resolving the polar interface of infinite-layer nickelate thin films. NATURE MATERIALS 2023; 22:466-473. [PMID: 36973543 DOI: 10.1038/s41563-023-01510-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2021] [Accepted: 02/14/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Nickel-based superconductors provide a long-awaited experimental platform to explore possible cuprate-like superconductivity. Despite similar crystal structure and d electron filling, however, superconductivity in nickelates has thus far only been stabilized in thin-film geometry, raising questions about the polar interface between substrate and thin film. Here we conduct a detailed experimental and theoretical study of the prototypical interface between Nd1-xSrxNiO2 and SrTiO3. Atomic-resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy in the scanning transmission electron microscope reveals the formation of a single intermediate Nd(Ti,Ni)O3 layer. Density functional theory calculations with a Hubbard U term show how the observed structure alleviates the polar discontinuity. We explore the effects of oxygen occupancy, hole doping and cation structure to disentangle the contributions of each for reducing interface charge density. Resolving the non-trivial interface structure will be instructive for future synthesis of nickelate films on other substrates and in vertical heterostructures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Berit H Goodge
- School of Applied and Engineering Physics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.
- Kavli Institute at Cornell for Nanoscale Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.
| | - Benjamin Geisler
- Department of Physics and Center for Nanointegration (CENIDE), University of Duisburg-Essen, Duisburg, Germany
| | - Kyuho Lee
- Stanford Institute for Materials and Energy Sciences, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, CA, USA
- Department of Physics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Motoki Osada
- Stanford Institute for Materials and Energy Sciences, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, CA, USA
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Bai Yang Wang
- Stanford Institute for Materials and Energy Sciences, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, CA, USA
- Department of Physics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Danfeng Li
- Stanford Institute for Materials and Energy Sciences, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, CA, USA
- Geballe Laboratory for Advanced Materials, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Department of Physics, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong
| | - Harold Y Hwang
- Stanford Institute for Materials and Energy Sciences, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, CA, USA
- Department of Applied Physics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Rossitza Pentcheva
- Department of Physics and Center for Nanointegration (CENIDE), University of Duisburg-Essen, Duisburg, Germany
| | - Lena F Kourkoutis
- School of Applied and Engineering Physics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.
- Kavli Institute at Cornell for Nanoscale Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.
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5
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Humbert V, El Hage R, Krieger G, Sanchez‐Santolino G, Sander A, Collin S, Trastoy J, Briatico J, Santamaria J, Preziosi D, Villegas JE. An Oxygen Vacancy Memristor Ruled by Electron Correlations. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2022; 9:e2201753. [PMID: 35901494 PMCID: PMC9507366 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202201753] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2022] [Revised: 07/01/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Resistive switching effects offer new opportunities in the field of conventional memories as well as in the booming area of neuromorphic computing. Here the authors demonstrate memristive switching effects produced by a redox-driven oxygen exchange in tunnel junctions based on NdNiO3 , a strongly correlated electron system characterized by the presence of a metal-to-insulator transition (MIT). Strikingly, a strong interplay exists between the MIT and the redox mechanism, which on the one hand modifies the MIT itself, and on the other hand radically affects the tunnel resistance switching and the resistance states' lifetime. That results in a very unique temperature behavior and endows the junctions with multiple degrees of freedom. The obtained results bring up fundamental questions on the interplay between electronic correlations and the creation and mobility of oxygen vacancies in nickelates, opening a new avenue toward mimicking neuromorphic functions by exploiting the electric-field control of correlated states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vincent Humbert
- Unité Mixte de PhysiqueCNRSThalesUniversité Paris‐SaclayPalaiseau91767France
| | - Ralph El Hage
- Unité Mixte de PhysiqueCNRSThalesUniversité Paris‐SaclayPalaiseau91767France
| | | | - Gabriel Sanchez‐Santolino
- Grupo de Física de Materiales ComplejosDpt. Física de MaterialesUniversidad Complutense de MadridMadrid28040Spain
| | - Anke Sander
- Unité Mixte de PhysiqueCNRSThalesUniversité Paris‐SaclayPalaiseau91767France
| | - Sophie Collin
- Unité Mixte de PhysiqueCNRSThalesUniversité Paris‐SaclayPalaiseau91767France
| | - Juan Trastoy
- Unité Mixte de PhysiqueCNRSThalesUniversité Paris‐SaclayPalaiseau91767France
| | - Javier Briatico
- Unité Mixte de PhysiqueCNRSThalesUniversité Paris‐SaclayPalaiseau91767France
| | - Jacobo Santamaria
- Grupo de Física de Materiales ComplejosDpt. Física de MaterialesUniversidad Complutense de MadridMadrid28040Spain
| | | | - Javier E. Villegas
- Unité Mixte de PhysiqueCNRSThalesUniversité Paris‐SaclayPalaiseau91767France
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6
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Lu X, Liu J, Zhang N, Xie B, Yang S, Liu W, Jiang Z, Huang Z, Yang Y, Miao J, Li W, Cho S, Liu Z, Liu Z, Shen D. Dimensionality-Controlled Evolution of Charge-Transfer Energy in Digital Nickelates Superlattices. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2022; 9:e2105864. [PMID: 35603969 PMCID: PMC9313943 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202105864] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2021] [Revised: 04/06/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Fundamental understanding and control of the electronic structure evolution in rare-earth nickelates is a fascinating and meaningful issue, as well as being helpful to understand the mechanism of recently discovered superconductivity. Here the dimensionality effect on the ground electronic state in high-quality (NdNiO3 ) m /(SrTiO3 )1 superlattices is systematically studied through transport and soft X-ray absorption spectroscopy. The metal-to-insulator transition temperature decreases with the thickness of the NdNiO3 slab decreasing from bulk to 7 unit cells, then increases gradually as m further reduces to 1 unit cell. Spectral evidence demonstrates that the stabilization of insulating phase can be attributed to the increase of the charge-transfer energy between O 2p and Ni 3d bands. The prominent multiplet feature on the Ni L3 edge develops with the decrease of NdNiO3 slab thickness, suggesting the strengthening of the charge disproportionate state under the dimensional confinement. This work provides convincing evidence that dimensionality is an effective knob to modulate the charge-transfer energy and thus the collective ground state in nickelates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiangle Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Functional Materials for InformaticsShanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information TechnologyChinese Academy of SciencesShanghai200050China
- Center of Materials Science and Optoelectronics EngineeringUniversity of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijing100049China
| | - Jishan Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Functional Materials for InformaticsShanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information TechnologyChinese Academy of SciencesShanghai200050China
- Center of Materials Science and Optoelectronics EngineeringUniversity of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijing100049China
| | - Nian Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Functional Materials for InformaticsShanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information TechnologyChinese Academy of SciencesShanghai200050China
- Center of Materials Science and Optoelectronics EngineeringUniversity of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijing100049China
| | - Binping Xie
- Feimion Instruments (Shanghai) Company LimitedShanghai201906China
| | - Shuai Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Functional Materials for InformaticsShanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information TechnologyChinese Academy of SciencesShanghai200050China
- Center of Materials Science and Optoelectronics EngineeringUniversity of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijing100049China
| | - Wanling Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Functional Materials for InformaticsShanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information TechnologyChinese Academy of SciencesShanghai200050China
- Center of Materials Science and Optoelectronics EngineeringUniversity of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijing100049China
| | - Zhicheng Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Functional Materials for InformaticsShanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information TechnologyChinese Academy of SciencesShanghai200050China
- Center of Materials Science and Optoelectronics EngineeringUniversity of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijing100049China
| | - Zhe Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Functional Materials for InformaticsShanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information TechnologyChinese Academy of SciencesShanghai200050China
- Center of Materials Science and Optoelectronics EngineeringUniversity of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijing100049China
| | - Yichen Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Functional Materials for InformaticsShanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information TechnologyChinese Academy of SciencesShanghai200050China
- Center of Materials Science and Optoelectronics EngineeringUniversity of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijing100049China
| | - Jin Miao
- State Key Laboratory of Surface PhysicsDepartment of PhysicsFudan UniversityShanghai200433China
| | - Wei Li
- State Key Laboratory of Surface PhysicsDepartment of PhysicsFudan UniversityShanghai200433China
| | - Soohyun Cho
- State Key Laboratory of Functional Materials for InformaticsShanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information TechnologyChinese Academy of SciencesShanghai200050China
- Center of Materials Science and Optoelectronics EngineeringUniversity of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijing100049China
| | - Zhengtai Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Functional Materials for InformaticsShanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information TechnologyChinese Academy of SciencesShanghai200050China
- Center of Materials Science and Optoelectronics EngineeringUniversity of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijing100049China
| | - Zhonghao Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Functional Materials for InformaticsShanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information TechnologyChinese Academy of SciencesShanghai200050China
- Center of Materials Science and Optoelectronics EngineeringUniversity of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijing100049China
| | - Dawei Shen
- State Key Laboratory of Functional Materials for InformaticsShanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information TechnologyChinese Academy of SciencesShanghai200050China
- Center of Materials Science and Optoelectronics EngineeringUniversity of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijing100049China
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7
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Sahinovic A, Geisler B. Quantifying transfer learning synergies in infinite-layer and perovskite nitrides, oxides, and fluorides. JOURNAL OF PHYSICS. CONDENSED MATTER : AN INSTITUTE OF PHYSICS JOURNAL 2022; 34:214003. [PMID: 35234671 DOI: 10.1088/1361-648x/ac5995] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2021] [Accepted: 03/01/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
We combine density functional theory simulations and active learning (AL) of element-embedding neural networks (NNs) to explore the sample efficiency for the prediction of vacancy layer formation energies and lattice parameters inABXninfinite-layer (n= 2) versus perovskite (n= 3) nitrides, oxides, and fluorides in the spirit of transfer learning. Following a comprehensive data analysis from different thermodynamic, structural, and statistical perspectives, we show that NNs model these observables with high precision, using merely∼30%of the data for training and exclusively theA-,B-, andX-site element names as minimal input devoid of any physicala prioriinformation. Element embedding autonomously arranges the chemical elements with a characteristic recurrent topology, such that their relations are consistent with human knowledge. We compare two different embedding strategies and show that these techniques render additional input such as atomic properties negligible. Simultaneously, we demonstrate that AL is largely independent of the initial training set, and exemplify its superiority over randomly composed training sets. Despite their highly distinct chemistry, the present approach successfully identifies fundamental quantum-mechanical universalities between nitrides, oxides, and fluorides that enhance the combined prediction accuracy by up to 16% with respect to three specialized NNs at equivalent numerical effort. This quantification of synergistic effects provides an impression of the transfer learning improvements one may expect for similarly complex materials. Finally, by embedding the tensor product of theBandXsites and subsequent quantitative cluster analysis, we establish from an unbiased artificial-intelligence perspective that oxides and nitrides exhibit significant parallels, whereas fluorides constitute a rather distinct materials class.
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Affiliation(s)
- Armin Sahinovic
- Department of Physics, Universität Duisburg-Essen, Lotharstr. 1, 47057 Duisburg, Germany
| | - Benjamin Geisler
- Department of Physics, Universität Duisburg-Essen, Lotharstr. 1, 47057 Duisburg, Germany
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8
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Wang L, Adiga P, Zhao J, Samarakoon WS, Stoerzinger KA, Spurgeon SR, Matthews BE, Bowden ME, Sushko PV, Kaspar TC, Sterbinsky GE, Heald SM, Wang H, Wangoh LW, Wu J, Guo EJ, Qian H, Wang J, Varga T, Thevuthasan S, Feng Z, Yang W, Du Y, Chambers SA. Understanding the Electronic Structure Evolution of Epitaxial LaNi 1-xFe xO 3 Thin Films for Water Oxidation. NANO LETTERS 2021; 21:8324-8331. [PMID: 34546060 DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.1c02901] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Rare earth nickelates including LaNiO3 are promising catalysts for water electrolysis to produce oxygen gas. Recent studies report that Fe substitution for Ni can significantly enhance the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) activity of LaNiO3. However, the role of Fe in increasing the activity remains ambiguous, with potential origins that are both structural and electronic in nature. On the basis of a series of epitaxial LaNi1-xFexO3 thin films synthesized by molecular beam epitaxy, we report that Fe substitution tunes the Ni oxidation state in LaNi1-xFexO3 and a volcano-like OER trend is observed, with x = 0.375 being the most active. Spectroscopy and ab initio modeling reveal that high-valent Fe3+δ cationic species strongly increase the transition-metal (TM) 3d bandwidth via Ni-O-Fe bridges and enhance TM 3d-O 2p hybridization, boosting the OER activity. These studies deepen our understanding of structural and electronic contributions that give rise to enhanced OER activity in perovskite oxides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Le Wang
- Physical and Computational Sciences Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99354, United States
| | - Prajwal Adiga
- School of Chemical, Biological and Environmental Engineering, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon 97331, United States
| | - Jiali Zhao
- Beijing Synchrotron Radiation Facility, Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100039, China
- Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics and Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
| | - Widitha S Samarakoon
- School of Chemical, Biological and Environmental Engineering, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon 97331, United States
| | - Kelsey A Stoerzinger
- Physical and Computational Sciences Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99354, United States
- School of Chemical, Biological and Environmental Engineering, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon 97331, United States
| | | | | | | | - Peter V Sushko
- Physical and Computational Sciences Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99354, United States
| | - Tiffany C Kaspar
- Physical and Computational Sciences Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99354, United States
| | - George E Sterbinsky
- Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, Illinois 60439, United States
| | - Steve M Heald
- Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, Illinois 60439, United States
| | - Han Wang
- Physical and Computational Sciences Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99354, United States
| | - Linda W Wangoh
- Physical and Computational Sciences Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99354, United States
| | - Jinpeng Wu
- Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Er-Jia Guo
- Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics and Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
| | - Haijie Qian
- Beijing Synchrotron Radiation Facility, Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100039, China
| | - Jiaou Wang
- Beijing Synchrotron Radiation Facility, Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100039, China
| | | | | | - Zhenxing Feng
- School of Chemical, Biological and Environmental Engineering, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon 97331, United States
| | - Wanli Yang
- Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Yingge Du
- Physical and Computational Sciences Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99354, United States
| | - Scott A Chambers
- Physical and Computational Sciences Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington 99354, United States
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9
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Mundet B, Domínguez C, Fowlie J, Gibert M, Triscone JM, Alexander DTL. Near-Atomic-Scale Mapping of Electronic Phases in Rare Earth Nickelate Superlattices. NANO LETTERS 2021; 21:2436-2443. [PMID: 33685129 PMCID: PMC7995248 DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.0c04538] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2020] [Revised: 01/29/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Nanoscale mapping of the distinct electronic phases characterizing the metal-insulator transition displayed by most of the rare-earth nickelate compounds is fundamental for discovering the true nature of this transition and the possible couplings that are established at the interfaces of nickelate-based heterostructures. Here, we demonstrate that this can be accomplished by using scanning transmission electron microscopy in combination with electron energy-loss spectroscopy. By tracking how the O K and Ni L edge fine structures evolve across two different NdNiO3/SmNiO3 superlattices, displaying either one or two metal-insulator transitions depending on the individual layer thickness, we are able to determine the electronic state of each of the individual constituent materials. We further map the spatial configuration associated with their metallic/insulating regions, reaching unit cell spatial resolution. With this, we estimate the width of the metallic/insulating boundaries at the NdNiO3/SmNiO3 interfaces, which is measured to be on the order of four unit cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bernat Mundet
- Department
of Quantum Matter Physics, University of
Geneva, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland
- Electron
Spectrometry and Microscopy Laboratory (LSME), Institute of Physics
(IPHYS), École Polytechnique Fédérale
de Lausanne (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Claribel Domínguez
- Department
of Quantum Matter Physics, University of
Geneva, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Jennifer Fowlie
- Department
of Quantum Matter Physics, University of
Geneva, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Marta Gibert
- Physik-Institut, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Jean-Marc Triscone
- Department
of Quantum Matter Physics, University of
Geneva, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Duncan T. L. Alexander
- Electron
Spectrometry and Microscopy Laboratory (LSME), Institute of Physics
(IPHYS), École Polytechnique Fédérale
de Lausanne (EPFL), 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
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10
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Hien-Hoang V, Chung NK, Kim HJ. Electrical transport properties and Kondo effect in La 1-xPr xNiO 3-δ thin films. Sci Rep 2021; 11:5391. [PMID: 33686139 PMCID: PMC7940496 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-84736-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2020] [Accepted: 02/17/2021] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
The Kondo effect has been a topic of intense study because of its significant contribution to the development of theories and understanding of strongly correlated electron systems. In this work, we show that the Kondo effect is at work in La1-xPrxNiO3-δ (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.6) thin films. At low temperatures, the local magnetic moments of the 3d eg electrons in Ni2+, which form because of oxygen vacancies, interact strongly with itinerant electrons, giving rise to an upturn in resistivity with x ≥ 0.2. Observation of negative magnetoresistance, described by the Khosla and Fisher model, further supports the Kondo picture. This case represents a rare example of the Kondo effect, where Ni2+ acts as an impurity in the background of Ni3+. We suggest that when Ni2+ does not participate in the regular lattice, it provides the local magnetic moments needed to scatter the conduction electrons in the Kondo effect. These results offer insights into emergent transport behaviors in metallic nickelates with mixed Ni3+ and Ni2+ ions, as well as structural disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Van Hien-Hoang
- grid.412077.70000 0001 0744 1296Department of Physics, Graduate School, Daegu University, Gyeongsan, Gyeongbuk 38453 Republic of Korea
| | - Nak-Kwan Chung
- grid.410883.60000 0001 2301 0664Research Team of Material Compatibility To Hydrogen Facility, Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science (KRISS), Daejeon, 34113 Republic of Korea
| | - Heon-Jung Kim
- grid.412077.70000 0001 0744 1296Department of Physics, Graduate School, Daegu University, Gyeongsan, Gyeongbuk 38453 Republic of Korea ,grid.412077.70000 0001 0744 1296Department of Materials-Energy Science and Engineering, College of Engineering, Daegu University, Gyeongsan, Gyeongbuk 38453 Republic of Korea
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11
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Ji H, Zhou G, Zhang J, Wang X, Xu X. Reversible control of magnetic and transport properties of NdNiO3– epitaxial films. J RARE EARTH 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jre.2020.07.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
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12
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Wang L, Yang Z, Yin X, Taylor SD, He X, Tang CS, Bowden ME, Zhao J, Wang J, Liu J, Perea DE, Wangoh L, Wee ATS, Zhou H, Chambers SA, Du Y. Spontaneous phase segregation of Sr 2NiO 3 and SrNi 2O 3 during SrNiO 3 heteroepitaxy. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2021; 7:eabe2866. [PMID: 33674310 PMCID: PMC7935367 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abe2866] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2020] [Accepted: 01/21/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Recent discovery of superconductivity in Nd0.8Sr0.2NiO2 motivates the synthesis of other nickelates for providing insights into the origin of high-temperature superconductivity. However, the synthesis of stoichiometric R 1-x Sr x NiO3 thin films over a range of x has proven challenging. Moreover, little is known about the structures and properties of the end member SrNiO3 Here, we show that spontaneous phase segregation occurs while depositing SrNiO3 thin films on perovskite oxide substrates by molecular beam epitaxy. Two coexisting oxygen-deficient Ruddlesden-Popper phases, Sr2NiO3 and SrNi2O3, are formed to balance the stoichiometry and stabilize the energetically preferred Ni2+ cation. Our study sheds light on an unusual oxide thin-film nucleation process driven by the instability in perovskite structured SrNiO3 and the tendency of transition metal cations to form their most stable valence (i.e., Ni2+ in this case). The resulting metastable reduced Ruddlesden-Popper structures offer a testbed for further studying emerging phenomena in nickel-based oxides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Le Wang
- Physical and Computational Sciences Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA 99354, USA
| | - Zhenzhong Yang
- Physical and Computational Sciences Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA 99354, USA
| | - Xinmao Yin
- Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117542, Singapore
| | - Sandra D Taylor
- Physical and Computational Sciences Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA 99354, USA
| | - Xu He
- Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology-ICN2, CSIC and BIST, Campus UAB, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Chi Sin Tang
- NUS Graduate School for Integrative Sciences and Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117456, Singapore
| | - Mark E Bowden
- Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA 99354, USA
| | - Jiali Zhao
- Beijing Synchrotron Radiation Facility, Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100039, China
| | - Jiaou Wang
- Beijing Synchrotron Radiation Facility, Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100039, China
| | - Jishan Liu
- Physical and Computational Sciences Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA 99354, USA
- State Key Laboratory of Functional Materials for Informatics, Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) , Shanghai 200050, China
| | - Daniel E Perea
- Earth and Biological Sciences Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA 99354, USA
| | - Linda Wangoh
- Physical and Computational Sciences Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA 99354, USA
| | - Andrew T S Wee
- Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117542, Singapore
| | - Hua Zhou
- X-ray Science Division, Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, IL 60439, USA
| | - Scott A Chambers
- Physical and Computational Sciences Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA 99354, USA.
| | - Yingge Du
- Physical and Computational Sciences Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA 99354, USA.
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13
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Chen B, Gauquelin N, Green RJ, Lee JH, Piamonteze C, Spreitzer M, Jannis D, Verbeeck J, Bibes M, Huijben M, Rijnders G, Koster G. Spatially Controlled Octahedral Rotations and Metal-Insulator Transitions in Nickelate Superlattices. NANO LETTERS 2021; 21:1295-1302. [PMID: 33470113 PMCID: PMC7883389 DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.0c03850] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
The properties of correlated oxides can be manipulated by forming short-period superlattices since the layer thicknesses are comparable with the typical length scales of the involved correlations and interface effects. Herein, we studied the metal-insulator transitions (MITs) in tetragonal NdNiO3/SrTiO3 superlattices by controlling the NdNiO3 layer thickness, n in the unit cell, spanning the length scale of the interfacial octahedral coupling. Scanning transmission electron microscopy reveals a crossover from a modulated octahedral superstructure at n = 8 to a uniform nontilt pattern at n = 4, accompanied by a drastically weakened insulating ground state. Upon further reducing n the predominant dimensionality effect continuously raises the MIT temperature, while leaving the antiferromagnetic transition temperature unaltered down to n = 2. Remarkably, the MIT can be enhanced by imposing a sufficiently large strain even with strongly suppressed octahedral rotations. Our results demonstrate the relevance for the control of oxide functionalities at reduced dimensions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Binbin Chen
- MESA+
Institute for Nanotechnology, University
of Twente, 7500 AE Enschede, The Netherlands
| | - Nicolas Gauquelin
- Electron
Microscopy for Materials Science (EMAT), University of Antwerp, 2020 Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Robert J. Green
- Department
of Physics and Engineering Physics, University
of Saskatchewan, 116 Science Place, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5E2, Canada
- Stewart
Blusson Quantum Matter Institute, University
of British Columbia, 111-2355 E Mall, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Jin Hong Lee
- Unité
Mixte de Physique, CNRS, Thales, Univ. Paris-Sud,
Université Paris-Saclay, 91767 Palaiseau, France
| | - Cinthia Piamonteze
- Swiss Light
Source, Paul Scherrer Institute, PSI, 5232 Villigen, Switzerland
| | - Matjaž Spreitzer
- Advanced
Materials Department, Jožef Stefan
Institute, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Daen Jannis
- Electron
Microscopy for Materials Science (EMAT), University of Antwerp, 2020 Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Johan Verbeeck
- Electron
Microscopy for Materials Science (EMAT), University of Antwerp, 2020 Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Manuel Bibes
- Unité
Mixte de Physique, CNRS, Thales, Univ. Paris-Sud,
Université Paris-Saclay, 91767 Palaiseau, France
| | - Mark Huijben
- MESA+
Institute for Nanotechnology, University
of Twente, 7500 AE Enschede, The Netherlands
| | - Guus Rijnders
- MESA+
Institute for Nanotechnology, University
of Twente, 7500 AE Enschede, The Netherlands
| | - Gertjan Koster
- MESA+
Institute for Nanotechnology, University
of Twente, 7500 AE Enschede, The Netherlands
- (G.K.)
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14
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Soni K, S H, Chandra M, Rajput P, Mavani KR. Switching of majority charge carriers by Zn doping in NdNiO 3 thin films. JOURNAL OF PHYSICS. CONDENSED MATTER : AN INSTITUTE OF PHYSICS JOURNAL 2021; 33:015602. [PMID: 32927449 DOI: 10.1088/1361-648x/abb864] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
We have studied the effects of Zn doping on the structural and electronic properties of epitaxial NdNiO3 thin films grown on single-crystal LaAlO3 (001) (LAO) substrates by pulsed laser deposition. The films are deposited in two sets, one with variation in Zn doping, and another with variation in thickness for undoped and 2% Zn doping. The experimental investigations show that Zn occupies Ni-site and that the films are grown with an in-plane compressive strain on LAO. All the films show metal-to-insulator transitions with a thermal hysteresis in the temperature-dependent resistivity curves except 5% Zn-doped film, which remains metallic. The theoretical fits show non-Fermi liquid behaviour, which gets influenced by Zn doping. The Hall resistance measurements clearly show that Zn doping causes injection of holes in the system which affects the electronic properties as follows: i) the metallic conduction increases by two factors just by 0.5% Zn doping whereas, 5% doping completely suppresses the insulating state, ii) a reversal of the sign of Hall coefficient of resistance is observed at low temperature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kavita Soni
- Discipline of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Indore, Khandwa Road, Simrol, 453 552, India
| | - Harisankar S
- Discipline of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Indore, Khandwa Road, Simrol, 453 552, India
| | - Mahesh Chandra
- Discipline of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Indore, Khandwa Road, Simrol, 453 552, India
| | - Parasmani Rajput
- Atomic & Molecular Physics Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Center (BARC), Trombay, Mumbai 400 085, India
| | - K R Mavani
- Discipline of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Indore, Khandwa Road, Simrol, 453 552, India
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15
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Abreu E, Meyers D, Thorsmølle VK, Zhang J, Liu X, Geng K, Chakhalian J, Averitt RD. Nucleation and Growth Bottleneck in the Conductivity Recovery Dynamics of Nickelate Ultrathin Films. NANO LETTERS 2020; 20:7422-7428. [PMID: 32902285 DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.0c02828] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
We investigate THz conductivity dynamics in NdNiO3 and EuNiO3 ultrathin films (15 unit cells, u.c., ∼5.7 nm thick) following a photoinduced thermal quench into the metallic state and reveal a clear contrast between first- and second-order dynamics. While in EuNiO3 the conductivity recovers exponentially, in NdNiO3 the recovery is nonexponential and slower than a simple thermal model. Crucially, it is consistent with first-order dynamics and well-described by a 2d Avrami model, with supercooling leading to metastable phase coexistence on the nano- to mesoscopic scale. This novel observation is a fundamentally dynamic manifestation of the first-order character of the insulator-to-metal transition, which the nanoscale thickness of our films and their fast cooling rate enable us to detect. The large transients seen in our films are promising for fast electronic (and magnetic) switching applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Abreu
- Institute for Quantum Electronics, Department of Physics, ETH Zurich, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - D Meyers
- Department of Physics, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma 74078, United States
| | - V K Thorsmølle
- Department of Physics, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
- Department of Physics, UC San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, United States
| | - J Zhang
- Department of Physics, UC San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, United States
- Department of Physics, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
| | - X Liu
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854, United States
| | - K Geng
- Department of Physics, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, United States
| | - J Chakhalian
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854, United States
| | - R D Averitt
- Department of Physics, UC San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, United States
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16
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Jana G, Mukherjee A. Frustration effects at finite temperature in the half filled Hubbard model. JOURNAL OF PHYSICS. CONDENSED MATTER : AN INSTITUTE OF PHYSICS JOURNAL 2020; 32:365602. [PMID: 32369786 DOI: 10.1088/1361-648x/ab9058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2020] [Accepted: 05/05/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
We investigate the finite temperature properties of the half filled Hubbard model in two dimensions, with onsite interaction (U), in presence of (frustrating) next nearest neighbor hopping (t') using a semiclassical approximation scheme. We show that introduction oft' results in a finite temperature pseudogapped (PG) phase that separates the smallUFermi liquid and largeUMott insulator. We map out the PG to normal metal crossover temperature scale (T*) as a function ofUandt'. We demonstrate that in the PG phase, the quadratic dependence of resistivity on temperature is violated due to thermally induced spin fluctuations. We conclude with exact diagonalization calculations, that complement our finite temperature results, and indicate the presence of a frustration driven PG state between the Fermi liquid and the Mott insulator at zero temperature as well.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gour Jana
- School of Physical Sciences, National Institute of Science Education and Research, HBNI, Jatni 752050, India
| | - Anamitra Mukherjee
- School of Physical Sciences, National Institute of Science Education and Research, HBNI, Jatni 752050, India
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17
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Tunable resistivity exponents in the metallic phase of epitaxial nickelates. Nat Commun 2020; 11:2949. [PMID: 32527995 PMCID: PMC7289814 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-16740-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2019] [Accepted: 05/15/2020] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
We report a detailed analysis of the electrical resistivity exponent of thin films of NdNiO3 as a function of epitaxial strain. Thin films under low strain conditions show a linear dependence of the resistivity versus temperature, consistent with a classical Fermi gas ruled by electron-phonon interactions. In addition, the apparent temperature exponent, n, can be tuned with the epitaxial strain between n = 1 and n = 3. We discuss the critical role played by quenched random disorder in the value of n. Our work shows that the assignment of Fermi/Non-Fermi liquid behaviour based on experimentally obtained resistivity exponents requires an in-depth analysis of the degree of disorder in the material. Strong electronic correlations in rare-earth nickelates make them prone to unconventional behaviour but extrinsic effects hamper the interpretation of data. Guo et al. show that apparent non-Fermi liquid transport in NdNiO3 is tuned by strain and disorder, suggesting a more conventional origin.
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18
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Lu Y, Akbar M, Xia C, Mi Y, Ma L, Wang B, Zhu B. Catalytic membrane with high ion–electron conduction made of strongly correlated perovskite LaNiO3 and Ce0.8Sm0.2O2-δ for fuel cells. J Catal 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jcat.2020.04.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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19
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Medina MS, Ramirez BN, Ferreira PMGL, Huang HP, Zenatti A, Lanfredi AJC, Escote MT. Low oxygen pressure synthesis of NdNiO3-δ nanowires by electrospinning. NANO EXPRESS 2020. [DOI: 10.1088/2632-959x/ab8a77] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Synthesis of RNiO3 (R = rare earth) nanowires can be interesting as building blocks with potential applications in optoelectronic devices. Here, we describe the synthesis and characterization of NdNiO3-δ
(NNO) nanowires produced by electrospinning technique via polymeric precursor solution at relatively low temperature and oxygen pressure. These NNO nanowires were characterized by x-ray diffraction (XRD), x-ray photodetection spectroscopy (XPS), Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (Fe-SEM), Magnetization (M(T)) and electrical resistance (R(T)) measurements. SEM images revealed a granular nanowire microstructure of NNO nanostructures, with a distribution of nanowire diameters ranging from 50 to 150 nm. The NNO nanowires also exhibit granular characteristics with an average grain diameter of 40 nm. The x-ray diffraction patterns of the NNO nanowires indicated that these samples exhibited a high degree of crystallinity and their Bragg reflections can be indexed to an orthorhombic-distorted (Pbnm symmetry) perovskite structure. The crystalline structure seems to be slightly texturized in some Bragg directions and with a slightly strained crystallite. M(T) and R(T) measurement as a function of temperature curves show that these NNO samples present a metal-insulator (MI) transition close to T
MI
∼ 198 K, which is usually observed in NNO thin films and bulk samples. The nanostructured shape and these experimental observations can be promising in designing new electronic devices using this strongly correlated oxide.
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20
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Observation of an antiferromagnetic quantum critical point in high-purity LaNiO 3. Nat Commun 2020; 11:1402. [PMID: 32179750 PMCID: PMC7075863 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-15143-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2019] [Accepted: 02/16/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Amongst the rare-earth perovskite nickelates, LaNiO3 (LNO) is an exception. While the former have insulating and antiferromagnetic ground states, LNO remains metallic and non-magnetic down to the lowest temperatures. It is believed that LNO is a strange metal, on the verge of an antiferromagnetic instability. Our work suggests that LNO is a quantum critical metal, close to an antiferromagnetic quantum critical point (QCP). The QCP behavior in LNO is manifested in epitaxial thin films with unprecedented high purities. We find that the temperature and magnetic field dependences of the resistivity of LNO at low temperatures are consistent with scatterings of charge carriers from weak disorder and quantum fluctuations of an antiferromagnetic nature. Furthermore, we find that the introduction of a small concentration of magnetic impurities qualitatively changes the magnetotransport properties of LNO, resembling that found in some heavy-fermion Kondo lattice systems in the vicinity of an antiferromagnetic QCP. LaNiO3 is a strange metal, for reasons that are not well understood. Here, Liu et al. report evidence for scattering of charge carriers by antiferromagnetic quantum fluctuations in high-purity epitaxial thin films of LaNiO3, suggesting it is close to an antiferromagnetic quantum critical point.
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21
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Modulation of metal-insulator transitions of NdNiO 3/LaNiO 3/NdNiO 3 trilayers via thickness control of the LaNiO 3 layer. Sci Rep 2019; 9:20145. [PMID: 31882979 PMCID: PMC6934756 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-56744-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2019] [Accepted: 12/11/2019] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Over the last few decades, manipulating the metal-insulator (MI) transition in perovskite oxides (ABO3) via an external control parameter has been attempted for practical purposes, but with limited success. The substitution of A-site cations is the most widely used technique to tune the MI transition. However, this method introduces unintended disorder, blurring the intrinsic properties. The present study reports the modulation of MI transitions in [10 nm-NdNiO3/t-LaNiO3/10 nm-NdNiO3/SrTiO3 (100)] trilayers (t = 5, 7, 10, and 20 nm) via the control of the LaNiO3 thickness. Upon an increase in the thickness of the LaNiO3 layer, the MI transition temperature undergoes a systematic decrease, demonstrating that bond disproportionation, the MI, and antiferromagnetic transitions are modulated by the LaNiO3 thickness. Because the bandwidth and the MI transition are determined by the Ni-O-Ni bond angle, this unexpected behavior suggests the transfer of the bond angle from the lower layer into the upper. The bond-angle transfer eventually induces a structural change of the orthorhombic structure of the middle LaNiO3 layer to match the structure of the bottom and the top NdNiO3, as evidenced by transmission electron microscopy. This engineering layer sequence opens a novel pathway to the manipulation of the key properties of oxide nickelates, such as the bond disproportionation, the MI transition, and unconventional antiferromagnetism with no impact of disorder.
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22
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Cooperative elastic fluctuations provide tuning of the metal–insulator transition. Nature 2019; 576:429-432. [DOI: 10.1038/s41586-019-1824-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2017] [Accepted: 09/11/2019] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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23
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Andrews JL, Santos DA, Meyyappan M, Williams RS, Banerjee S. Building Brain-Inspired Logic Circuits from Dynamically Switchable Transition-Metal Oxides. TRENDS IN CHEMISTRY 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.trechm.2019.07.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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24
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Li J, Pelliciari J, Mazzoli C, Catalano S, Simmons F, Sadowski JT, Levitan A, Gibert M, Carlson E, Triscone JM, Wilkins S, Comin R. Scale-invariant magnetic textures in the strongly correlated oxide NdNiO 3. Nat Commun 2019; 10:4568. [PMID: 31615992 PMCID: PMC6794273 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-12502-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2019] [Accepted: 09/09/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Strongly correlated quantum solids are characterized by an inherently granular electronic fabric, with spatial patterns that can span multiple length scales in proximity to a critical point. Here, we use a resonant magnetic X-ray scattering nanoprobe with sub-100 nm spatial resolution to directly visualize the texture of antiferromagnetic domains in NdNiO3. Surprisingly, our measurements reveal a highly textured magnetic fabric, which we show to be robust and nonvolatile even after thermal erasure across its ordering temperature. The scale-free distribution of antiferromagnetic domains and its non-integral dimensionality point to a hitherto-unobserved magnetic fractal geometry in this system. These scale-invariant textures directly reflect the continuous nature of the magnetic transition and the proximity of this system to a critical point. The present study not only exposes the near-critical behavior in rare earth nickelates but also underscores the potential for X-ray scattering nanoprobes to image the multiscale signatures of criticality near a critical point.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiarui Li
- Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Jonathan Pelliciari
- Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Claudio Mazzoli
- National Synchrotron Light Source II, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY, 11973, USA
| | - Sara Catalano
- DQMP, University of Geneva, 24 quai Ernest-Ansermet, 1211 Genève 4, Genève, Switzerland.,CIC Nanogune, Tolosa Hiribidea 76, 20008, Donostia, Spain
| | - Forrest Simmons
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA
| | - Jerzy T Sadowski
- Center for Functional Nanomaterials, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY, 11973, USA
| | - Abraham Levitan
- Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Marta Gibert
- Physik-Institut, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Erica Carlson
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA.,Purdue Quantum Science and Engineering Institute, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA
| | - Jean-Marc Triscone
- DQMP, University of Geneva, 24 quai Ernest-Ansermet, 1211 Genève 4, Genève, Switzerland
| | - Stuart Wilkins
- National Synchrotron Light Source II, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY, 11973, USA
| | - Riccardo Comin
- Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA.
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25
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Liu J, Jia E, Wang L, Stoerzinger KA, Zhou H, Tang CS, Yin X, He X, Bousquet E, Bowden ME, Wee ATS, Chambers SA, Du Y. Tuning the Electronic Structure of LaNiO 3 through Alloying with Strontium to Enhance Oxygen Evolution Activity. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2019; 6:1901073. [PMID: 31592141 PMCID: PMC6774028 DOI: 10.1002/advs.201901073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2019] [Revised: 07/17/2019] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
The perovskite oxide LaNiO3 is a promising oxygen electrocatalyst for renewable energy storage and conversion technologies. Here, it is shown that strontium substitution for lanthanum in coherently strained, epitaxial LaNiO3 films (La1- x Sr x NiO3) significantly enhances the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) activity, resulting in performance at x = 0.5 comparable to the state-of-the-art catalyst Ba0.5Sr0.5Co0.8Fe0.2O3- δ . By combining X-ray photoemission and X-ray absorption spectroscopies with density functional theory, it is shown that an upward energy shift of the O 2p band relative to the Fermi level occurs with increasing x in La1- x Sr x NiO3. This alloying step strengthens Ni 3d-O 2p hybridization and decreases the charge transfer energy, which in turn accounts for the enhanced OER activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jishan Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Functional Materials for InformaticsShanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information TechnologyChinese Academy of SciencesShanghai200050China
- Center for Excellence in Superconducting ElectronicsChinese Academy of SciencesShanghai200050China
- Physical and Computational Sciences DirectoratePacific Northwest National LaboratoryRichlandWA99354USA
| | - Endong Jia
- Physical and Computational Sciences DirectoratePacific Northwest National LaboratoryRichlandWA99354USA
- The Key Laboratory of Solar Thermal Energy and Photovoltaic SystemInstitute of Electrical EngineeringChinese Academy of SciencesBeijing100190China
- Department of PhysicsUniversity of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijing100190China
| | - Le Wang
- Physical and Computational Sciences DirectoratePacific Northwest National LaboratoryRichlandWA99354USA
| | - Kelsey A. Stoerzinger
- Physical and Computational Sciences DirectoratePacific Northwest National LaboratoryRichlandWA99354USA
- School of ChemicalBiological and Environmental EngineeringOregon State UniversityCorvallisOR97331USA
| | - Hua Zhou
- X‐Ray Science DivisionAdvanced Photon SourceArgonne National LaboratoryLemontIL60439USA
| | - Chi Sin Tang
- Department of PhysicsFaculty of ScienceNational University of SingaporeSingapore117542Singapore
- NUS Graduate School for Integrative Sciences and EngineeringNational University of SingaporeSingapore117456Singapore
| | - Xinmao Yin
- Department of PhysicsFaculty of ScienceNational University of SingaporeSingapore117542Singapore
| | - Xu He
- Theoretical Materials PhysicsQ‐MATCesamUniversity of LiègeB‐4000LiègeBelgium
| | - Eric Bousquet
- Theoretical Materials PhysicsQ‐MATCesamUniversity of LiègeB‐4000LiègeBelgium
| | - Mark E. Bowden
- Environmental Molecular Sciences LaboratoryPacific Northwest National LaboratoryRichlandWA99354USA
| | - Andrew T. S. Wee
- Department of PhysicsFaculty of ScienceNational University of SingaporeSingapore117542Singapore
| | - Scott A. Chambers
- Physical and Computational Sciences DirectoratePacific Northwest National LaboratoryRichlandWA99354USA
| | - Yingge Du
- Physical and Computational Sciences DirectoratePacific Northwest National LaboratoryRichlandWA99354USA
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26
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Buzzi M, Först M, Cavalleri A. Measuring non-equilibrium dynamics in complex solids with ultrashort X-ray pulses. PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. SERIES A, MATHEMATICAL, PHYSICAL, AND ENGINEERING SCIENCES 2019; 377:20170478. [PMID: 30929635 PMCID: PMC6452049 DOI: 10.1098/rsta.2017.0478] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
Strong interactions between electrons give rise to the complexity of quantum materials, which exhibit exotic functional properties and extreme susceptibility to external perturbations. A growing research trend involves the study of these materials away from equilibrium, especially in cases in which the stimulation with optical pulses can coherently enhance cooperative orders. Time-resolved X-ray probes are integral to this type of research, as they can be used to track atomic and electronic structures as they evolve on ultrafast timescales. Here, we review a series of recent experiments where femtosecond X-ray diffraction was used to measure dynamics of complex solids. This article is part of the theme issue 'Measurement of ultrafast electronic and structural dynamics with X-rays'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michele Buzzi
- Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Michael Först
- Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Andrea Cavalleri
- Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter, Hamburg, Germany
- Department of Physics, Oxford University, Clarendon Laboratory, Oxford, UK
- e-mail:
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27
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Chang L, Wang L, You L, Yang Z, Abdelsamie A, Zhang Q, Zhou Y, Gu L, Chambers SA, Wang J. Tuning Photovoltaic Performance of Perovskite Nickelates Heterostructures by Changing the A-Site Rare-Earth Element. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2019; 11:16191-16197. [PMID: 30964625 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.9b01851] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Perovskite rare-earth nickelates (RNiO3) have attracted much attention because of their exotic physical properties and rich potential applications. Here, we report systematic tuning of the electronic structures of RNiO3 (R = Nd, Sm, Gd, and Lu) by isovalent A-site substitution. By integrating RNiO3 thin films with Nb-doped SrTiO3 (NSTO), p-n heterojunction photovoltaic cells have been prepared and their performance has been investigated. The open-circuit voltage increases monotonically with decreasing A-site cation radius. This change results in a downward shift of the Fermi level and induces an increase in the built-in potential at the RNiO3/NSTO heterojunction, with LuNiO3/NSTO showing the largest open-circuit voltage. At the same time, the short-circuit current initially increases upon changing the A-site element from Nd to Sm. However, the larger bandgaps of GdNiO3 and LuNiO3 reduce light absorption which in turn induces a decrease in the short-circuit current. A power conversion efficiency of 1.13% has been achieved by inserting an ultrathin insulating SrTiO3 layer at the SmNiO3/NSTO interface. Our study illustrates how changing the A-site cation is an effective strategy for tuning photovoltaic performance and sheds light on which A-site element is the best for photovoltaic applications, which can significantly increase the applicability of nickelates in optoelectric devices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Chang
- School of Materials Science and Engineering , Nanyang Technological University , Singapore 639798 , Singapore
| | - Le Wang
- School of Materials Science and Engineering , Nanyang Technological University , Singapore 639798 , Singapore
- Physical and Computational Sciences Directorate , Pacific Northwest National Laboratory , Richland , Washington 99354 , United States
| | - Lu You
- School of Materials Science and Engineering , Nanyang Technological University , Singapore 639798 , Singapore
| | - Zhenzhong Yang
- Physical and Computational Sciences Directorate , Pacific Northwest National Laboratory , Richland , Washington 99354 , United States
| | - Amr Abdelsamie
- School of Materials Science and Engineering , Nanyang Technological University , Singapore 639798 , Singapore
| | - Qinghua Zhang
- Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics , Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing 100190 , China
| | - Yang Zhou
- School of Materials Science and Engineering , Nanyang Technological University , Singapore 639798 , Singapore
| | - Lin Gu
- Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics , Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing 100190 , China
- Songshan Lake Materials Laboratory , Dongguan , Guangdong 523808 , China
- School of Physical Sciences , University of Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing 100049 , China
| | - Scott A Chambers
- Physical and Computational Sciences Directorate , Pacific Northwest National Laboratory , Richland , Washington 99354 , United States
| | - Junling Wang
- School of Materials Science and Engineering , Nanyang Technological University , Singapore 639798 , Singapore
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28
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Harisankar S, Soni K, Yadav E, Mavani KR. Strain-mediated effects of oxygen deficiency and variation in non-Fermi liquid behavior of epitaxial PrNiO 3-δ thin films. JOURNAL OF PHYSICS. CONDENSED MATTER : AN INSTITUTE OF PHYSICS JOURNAL 2019; 31:135601. [PMID: 30630148 DOI: 10.1088/1361-648x/aafd66] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
To understand the effects of oxygen variation in combination with different strains in perovskite nickelates, three sets of PrNiO3-δ thin films S 1, S 2 and S 3 were deposited on (0 0 1) oriented single-crystal wafers of SrTiO3, LSAT [(LaAlO3)0.3(Sr2TaAlO6)0.7] and LaAlO3, respectively. Two sets of films, S 1 and S 2, have tensile strain whereas the films of S 3 show compressive strain. For each set, two thin films of fixed thickness (5 nm) were deposited; one film was annealed in situ in oxygen partial pressure just after deposition, the other film was not annealed. The difference in oxygen stoichiometry caused a different state of epitaxial strain in the films. So, the strain was induced in the films due to lattice mismatch with substrate, which modified due to oxygen deficiency. These films show non-Fermi liquid (NFL) behavior in the metallic state. The fitting parameters to power-law equation show a systematic tuning of NFL fitting parameters because of variations in strain. Our results show that not only lattice mismatch induced strain, but also oxygen stoichiometry are crucial parameters in changing the state of strain and hence the NFL behavior and electronic properties of perovskite nickelates.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Harisankar
- Discipline of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Indore, Simrol 453552, India
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29
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Wang L, Stoerzinger KA, Chang L, Yin X, Li Y, Tang CS, Jia E, Bowden ME, Yang Z, Abdelsamie A, You L, Guo R, Chen J, Rusydi A, Wang J, Chambers SA, Du Y. Strain Effect on Oxygen Evolution Reaction Activity of Epitaxial NdNiO 3 Thin Films. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2019; 11:12941-12947. [PMID: 30834739 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.8b21301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Epitaxial strain can cause both lattice distortion and oxygen nonstoichiometry, effects that are strongly coupled at heterojunctions of complex nickelate oxides. Here we decouple these structural and chemical effects on the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) by using a set of coherently strained epitaxial NdNiO3 films. We show that within the regime where oxygen vacancies (VO) are negligible, compressive strain is favorable for the OER whereas tensile strain is unfavorable; the former induces orbital splitting, resulting in a higher occupancy in the d3 z2- r2 orbital and weaker Ni-O chemisorption. However, when the tensile strain is sufficiently large to promote VO formation, an increase in the OER is also observed. The partial reduction of Ni3+ to Ni2+ due to VO makes the eg occupancy slightly larger than unity, which is thought to account for the increased OER activity. Our work highlights that epitaxial-strain-induced lattice distortion and VO generation can be individually or collectively exploited to tune OER activity, which is important for the predictive synthesis of high-performance electrocatalysts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Le Wang
- School of Materials Science and Engineering , Nanyang Technological University , Singapore 639798 , Singapore
| | - Kelsey A Stoerzinger
- School of Chemical, Biological, and Environmental Engineering , Oregon State University , Corvallis , Oregon 97331 , United States
| | - Lei Chang
- School of Materials Science and Engineering , Nanyang Technological University , Singapore 639798 , Singapore
| | - Xinmao Yin
- Department of Physics, Faculty of Science , National University of Singapore , Singapore 117542 , Singapore
| | - Yangyang Li
- Department of Material Science & Engineering , National University of Singapore , Singapore 117575 , Singapore
| | - Chi Sin Tang
- NUS Graduate School for Integrative Sciences and Engineering , National University of Singapore , Singapore 117456 , Singapore
| | - Endong Jia
- The Key Laboratory of Solar Thermal Energy and Photovoltaic System, Institute of Electrical Engineering , Chinese Academy of Science , Beijing 100190 , China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing 100190 , China
| | | | | | - Amr Abdelsamie
- School of Materials Science and Engineering , Nanyang Technological University , Singapore 639798 , Singapore
| | - Lu You
- School of Materials Science and Engineering , Nanyang Technological University , Singapore 639798 , Singapore
| | - Rui Guo
- Department of Material Science & Engineering , National University of Singapore , Singapore 117575 , Singapore
| | - Jingsheng Chen
- Department of Material Science & Engineering , National University of Singapore , Singapore 117575 , Singapore
| | - Andrivo Rusydi
- Department of Physics, Faculty of Science , National University of Singapore , Singapore 117542 , Singapore
| | - Junling Wang
- School of Materials Science and Engineering , Nanyang Technological University , Singapore 639798 , Singapore
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30
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Zhang Y, Cao Y, Hu H, Wang X, Li P, Yang Y, Zheng J, Zhang C, Song Z, Li A, Wen Z. Flexible Metal-Insulator Transitions Based on van der Waals Oxide Heterostructures. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2019; 11:8284-8290. [PMID: 30707841 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.8b22664] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Recently, flexible and wearable electronics are highly desirable because of their great potential in the next-generation information devices. In this work, we demonstrate the realization of the metal-insulator transition (MIT) effect in flexible rare-earth nickelate heterostructures. The NdNiO3 thin films are grown on lattice-mismatched mica substrates along the pseudocubic (111) direction via the van der Waals heteroepitaxy, in which the MIT behaviors are induced and modulated by carefully controlling the lattice strain and the ionic valence state with SrTiO3 and LaAlO3 buffering layers. Enhanced MIT properties with sharp transition and significant resistivity change between the metallic and the insulating states are achieved in the NdNiO3/LaAlO3/SrTiO3/mica heterostructures with appropriate in-plane tensile strain and suppressed concentration of Ni2+ ions. In addition, the proposed NdNiO3-based heterostructures exhibit excellent flexibility with reliable MIT characteristics not only in statically concave/convex bending but also in dynamically bending cycling up to 1000 times. The present work provides a platform to design and fabricate new flexible devices integrated with the MIT effect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yiteng Zhang
- College of Physics and National Demonstration Center for Experimental Applied Physics Education , Qingdao University , Qingdao 266071 , China
| | - Yanqiang Cao
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering , Nanjing University , Nanjing 210093 , China
| | - Haihua Hu
- College of Physics and National Demonstration Center for Experimental Applied Physics Education , Qingdao University , Qingdao 266071 , China
| | - Xi Wang
- College of Physics and National Demonstration Center for Experimental Applied Physics Education , Qingdao University , Qingdao 266071 , China
| | - Pengzheng Li
- College of Physics and National Demonstration Center for Experimental Applied Physics Education , Qingdao University , Qingdao 266071 , China
| | - Yu Yang
- College of Physics and National Demonstration Center for Experimental Applied Physics Education , Qingdao University , Qingdao 266071 , China
| | - Jie Zheng
- College of Physics and National Demonstration Center for Experimental Applied Physics Education , Qingdao University , Qingdao 266071 , China
| | - Chi Zhang
- College of Physics and National Demonstration Center for Experimental Applied Physics Education , Qingdao University , Qingdao 266071 , China
| | - Zhiqing Song
- College of Physics and National Demonstration Center for Experimental Applied Physics Education , Qingdao University , Qingdao 266071 , China
| | - Aidong Li
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering , Nanjing University , Nanjing 210093 , China
| | - Zheng Wen
- College of Physics and National Demonstration Center for Experimental Applied Physics Education , Qingdao University , Qingdao 266071 , China
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31
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Xu Z, Hu S, Wu R, Wang JO, Wu T, Chen L. Strain-Enhanced Charge Transfer and Magnetism at a Manganite/Nickelate Interface. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2018; 10:30803-30810. [PMID: 30130085 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.8b06949] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
The strain effect on charge transfer in correlated oxide La0.8Sr0.2MnO3/NdNiO3 (LSMO/NNO) heterostructures is investigated. This is achieved by carefully tailoring the strain on the two layers using various substrates. In contrast to bare LSMO films, the strain dependence of the enhanced magnetic moment of the LSMO/NNO bilayers strongly suggests that the charge transfer can be controlled via strain engineering in complex oxide heterostructures. Furthermore, our study also reveals that the coercive field, exchange bias, and conductivity are dramatically affected by the strain-modulated charge transfer in LSMO/NNO heterostructures. Our work thus points out a new path to control electronic states in oxide heterostructures to advance the use of interfaces in oxide-based electronics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zedong Xu
- Department of Physics , Southern University of Science and Technology , Shenzhen , Guangdong 518055 , China
| | - Songbai Hu
- Department of Physics , Southern University of Science and Technology , Shenzhen , Guangdong 518055 , China
| | - Rui Wu
- Laboratory of Synchrotron Radiation , Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing 100039 , China
| | - Jia-Ou Wang
- Laboratory of Synchrotron Radiation , Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing 100039 , China
| | - Tom Wu
- School of Materials Science and Engineering , UNSW Australia , Sydney , New South Wales 2052 , Australia
| | - Lang Chen
- Department of Physics , Southern University of Science and Technology , Shenzhen , Guangdong 518055 , China
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32
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Metal-insulator-transition engineering by modulation tilt-control in perovskite nickelates for room temperature optical switching. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2018; 115:9515-9520. [PMID: 30185557 PMCID: PMC6156682 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1807457115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Correlated transition metal oxide perovskites receive a lot of attention due to their unique physical properties, which are largely driven by distortion of the BO6 octahedral network. In bulk, the control of the octahedral network is normally obtained by cation substitutions in a random alloy. Similar to the charge donors in semiconductors, cation substitutions will introduce scattering and disorder. The development of artificial heterostructures offers unprecedented opportunities to lattice engineering to achieve desired properties. In this work, we demonstrated a structural analogue of modulation doping in nickelate heterostructures through the interfacial transfer of tilt patterns. Modulation tilt control was used to remotely control the Ni–O bonds in the compound SmNiO3 and thereby its critical temperature for optimal optical switching application. In transition metal perovskites ABO3, the physical properties are largely driven by the rotations of the BO6 octahedra, which can be tuned in thin films through strain and dimensionality control. However, both approaches have fundamental and practical limitations due to discrete and indirect variations in bond angles, bond lengths, and film symmetry by using commercially available substrates. Here, we introduce modulation tilt control as an approach to tune the ground state of perovskite oxide thin films by acting explicitly on the oxygen octahedra rotation modes—that is, directly on the bond angles. By intercalating the prototype SmNiO3 target material with a tilt-control layer, we cause the system to change the natural amplitude of a given rotation mode without affecting the interactions. In contrast to strain and dimensionality engineering, our method enables a continuous fine-tuning of the materials’ properties. This is achieved through two independent adjustable parameters: the nature of the tilt-control material (through its symmetry, elastic constants, and oxygen rotation angles), and the relative thicknesses of the target and tilt-control materials. As a result, a magnetic and electronic phase diagram can be obtained, normally only accessible by A-site element substitution, within the single SmNiO3 compound. With this unique approach, we successfully adjusted the metal–insulator transition (MIT) to room temperature to fulfill the desired conditions for optical switching applications.
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33
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Stemmer S, Allen SJ. Non-Fermi liquids in oxide heterostructures. REPORTS ON PROGRESS IN PHYSICS. PHYSICAL SOCIETY (GREAT BRITAIN) 2018; 81:062502. [PMID: 29651990 DOI: 10.1088/1361-6633/aabdfa] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the anomalous transport properties of strongly correlated materials is one of the most formidable challenges in condensed matter physics. For example, one encounters metal-insulator transitions, deviations from Landau Fermi liquid behavior, longitudinal and Hall scattering rate separation, a pseudogap phase, and bad metal behavior. These properties have been studied extensively in bulk materials, such as the unconventional superconductors and heavy fermion systems. Oxide heterostructures have recently emerged as new platforms to probe, control, and understand strong correlation phenomena. This article focuses on unconventional transport phenomena in oxide thin film systems. We use specific systems as examples, namely charge carriers in SrTiO3 layers and interfaces with SrTiO3, and strained rare earth nickelate thin films. While doped SrTiO3 layers appear to be a well behaved, though complex, electron gas or Fermi liquid, the rare earth nickelates are a highly correlated electron system that may be classified as a non-Fermi liquid. We discuss insights into the underlying physics that can be gained from studying the emergence of non-Fermi liquid behavior as a function of the heterostructure parameters. We also discuss the role of lattice symmetry and disorder in phenomena such as metal-insulator transitions in strongly correlated heterostructures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susanne Stemmer
- Materials Department, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106-5050, United States of America
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34
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Catalano S, Gibert M, Fowlie J, Íñiguez J, Triscone JM, Kreisel J. Rare-earth nickelates RNiO 3: thin films and heterostructures. REPORTS ON PROGRESS IN PHYSICS. PHYSICAL SOCIETY (GREAT BRITAIN) 2018; 81:046501. [PMID: 29266004 DOI: 10.1088/1361-6633/aaa37a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
This review stands in the larger framework of functional materials by focussing on heterostructures of rare-earth nickelates, described by the chemical formula RNiO3 where R is a trivalent rare-earth R = La, Pr, Nd, Sm, …, Lu. Nickelates are characterized by a rich phase diagram of structural and physical properties and serve as a benchmark for the physics of phase transitions in correlated oxides where electron-lattice coupling plays a key role. Much of the recent interest in nickelates concerns heterostructures, that is single layers of thin film, multilayers or superlattices, with the general objective of modulating their physical properties through strain control, confinement or interface effects. We will discuss the extensive studies on nickelate heterostructures as well as outline different approaches to tuning and controlling their physical properties and, finally, review application concepts for future devices.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Catalano
- DQMP, Université de Genève, 24 Quai Ernest-Ansermet, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland
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35
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Shamblin J, Heres M, Zhou H, Sangoro J, Lang M, Neuefeind J, Alonso JA, Johnston S. Experimental evidence for bipolaron condensation as a mechanism for the metal-insulator transition in rare-earth nickelates. Nat Commun 2018; 9:86. [PMID: 29311661 PMCID: PMC5758760 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-02561-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2017] [Accepted: 12/08/2017] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Many-body effects produce deviations from the predictions of conventional band theory in quantum materials, leading to strongly correlated phases with insulating or bad metallic behavior. One example is the rare-earth nickelates RNiO3, which undergo metal-to-insulator transitions (MITs) whose origin is debated. Here, we combine total neutron scattering and broadband dielectric spectroscopy experiments to study and compare carrier dynamics and local crystal structure in LaNiO3 and NdNiO3. We find that the local crystal structure of both materials is distorted in the metallic phase, with slow, thermally activated carrier dynamics at high temperature. We further observe a sharp change in conductivity across the MIT in NdNiO3, accompanied by slight differences in the carrier hopping time. These results suggest that changes in carrier concentration drive the MIT through a polaronic mechanism, where the (bi)polaron liquid freezes into the insulating phase across the MIT temperature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob Shamblin
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, 37996, USA
- Department of Nuclear Engineering, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, 37996, USA
| | - Maximilian Heres
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, 37996, USA
| | - Haidong Zhou
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, 37996, USA
| | - Joshua Sangoro
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, 37996, USA
| | - Maik Lang
- Department of Nuclear Engineering, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, 37996, USA
| | - Joerg Neuefeind
- Chemical and Engineering Materials Division, Spallation Neutron Source, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37831, USA
| | - J A Alonso
- Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Madrid, CSIC, Cantoblanco, E-28049, Madrid, Spain
| | - Steven Johnston
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, 37996, USA.
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Yi D, Lu N, Chen X, Shen S, Yu P. Engineering magnetism at functional oxides interfaces: manganites and beyond. JOURNAL OF PHYSICS. CONDENSED MATTER : AN INSTITUTE OF PHYSICS JOURNAL 2017; 29:443004. [PMID: 28745614 DOI: 10.1088/1361-648x/aa824d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
The family of transition metal oxides (TMOs) is a large class of magnetic materials that has been intensively studied due to the rich physics involved as well as the promising potential applications in next generation electronic devices. In TMOs, the spin, charge, orbital and lattice are strongly coupled, and significant advances have been achieved to engineer the magnetism by different routes that manipulate these degrees of freedom. The family of manganites is a model system of strongly correlated magnetic TMOs. In this review, using manganites thin films and the heterostructures in conjunction with other TMOs as model systems, we review the recent progress of engineering magnetism in TMOs. We first discuss the role of the lattice that includes the epitaxial strain and the interface structural coupling. Then we look into the role of charge, focusing on the interface charge modulation. Having demonstrated the static effects, we continue to review the research on dynamical control of magnetism by electric field. Next, we review recent advances in heterostructures comprised of high T c cuprate superconductors and manganites. Following that, we discuss the emergent magnetic phenomena at interfaces between 3d TMOs and 5d TMOs with strong spin-orbit coupling. Finally, we provide our outlook for prospective future directions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Di Yi
- Geballe Laboratory for Advanced Materials and Applied Physics Department, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, United States of America
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37
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Mozaffari S, Guchhait S, Markert JT. Spin-orbit interaction and Kondo scattering at the PrAlO 3/SrTiO 3 interface: effects of oxygen content. JOURNAL OF PHYSICS. CONDENSED MATTER : AN INSTITUTE OF PHYSICS JOURNAL 2017; 29:395002. [PMID: 28699623 DOI: 10.1088/1361-648x/aa7f43] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
We report the effects of oxygen pressure during growth ([Formula: see text]) on the electronic and magnetic properties of PrAlO3 films grown on [Formula: see text]-terminated SrTiO3 substrates. Resistivity measurements show an increase in the sheet resistance as [Formula: see text] is increased. The saturation of the sheet resistance down to 0.3 K is consistent with Kondo theory for [Formula: see text] torr. Resistivity data fits indicate Kondo temperatures of 16-18 K. For the [Formula: see text] sample, we measured a moderate positive magnetoresistance (MR) due to a strong spin-orbit (SO) interaction at low magnetic fields that evolves into a larger negative MR at high fields due to the Kondo effect. Analysis of the MR data permitted the extraction of the SO interaction critical field for the [Formula: see text] torr interface ([Formula: see text] T). We observed high positive MR for the least oxygenated sample, where a fraction of the n-type carriers are derived from oxygen vacancies and possible cation interdiffusion; for this [Formula: see text] torr sample, Hall effect data indicate a thick conducting layer. Its extremely high MR (∼[Formula: see text]) is attributed to classical behavior due to a distribution of mobilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shirin Mozaffari
- Department of Physics, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, United States of America
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38
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Mott Transition and Magnetism in Rare Earth Nickelates and its Fingerprint on the X-ray Scattering. Sci Rep 2017; 7:10375. [PMID: 28871182 PMCID: PMC5583322 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-10374-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2017] [Accepted: 08/09/2017] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
The metal-insulator transition (MIT) remains among the most thoroughly studied phenomena in solid state physics, but the complexity of the phenomena, which usually involves cooperation of many degrees of freedom including orbitals, fluctuating local moments, magnetism, and the crystal structure, have resisted predictive ab-initio treatment. Here we develop ab-initio theoretical method for correlated electron materials, based on Dynamical Mean Field Theory, which can predict the change of the crystal structure across the MIT at finite temperature. This allows us to study the coupling between electronic, magnetic and orbital degrees of freedom with the crystal structure across the MIT in rare-earth nickelates. We predict the electronic free energy profile of the competing states, and the theoretical magnetic ground state configuration, which is in agreement with neutron scattering data, but is different from the magnetic models proposed before. The resonant elastic X-ray response at the K-edge, which was argued to be a probe of the charge order, is theoretically modelled within the Dynamical Mean Field Theory, including the core-hole interaction. We show that the line-shape of the measured resonant elastic X-ray response can be explained with the “site-selective” Mott scenario without real charge order on Ni sites.
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Vardi N, Anouchi E, Yamin T, Middey S, Kareev M, Chakhalian J, Dubi Y, Sharoni A. Ramp-Reversal Memory and Phase-Boundary Scarring in Transition Metal Oxides. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2017; 29:1605029. [PMID: 28332323 DOI: 10.1002/adma.201605029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2016] [Revised: 02/02/2017] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Transition metal oxides are complex electronic systems that exhibit a multitude of collective phenomena. Two archetypal examples are VO2 and NdNiO3 , which undergo a metal-insulator phase transition (MIT), the origin of which is still under debate. Here this study reports the discovery of a memory effect in both systems, manifested through an increase of resistance at a specific temperature, which is set by reversing the temperature ramp from heating to cooling during the MIT. The characteristics of this ramp-reversal memory effect do not coincide with any previously reported history or memory effects in manganites, electron-glass or magnetic systems. From a broad range of experimental features, supported by theoretical modelling, it is found that the main ingredients for the effect to arise are the spatial phase separation of metallic and insulating regions during the MIT and the coupling of lattice strain to the local transition temperature of the phase transition. We conclude that the emergent memory effect originates from phase boundaries at the reversal temperature leaving "scars" in the underlying lattice structure, giving rise to a local increase in the transition temperature. The universality and robustness of the effect shed new light on the MIT in complex oxides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naor Vardi
- Department of Physics, Bar Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, IL, 5290002, Israel
- Bar-Ilan Institute of Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials, Ramat-Gan, IL, 5290002, Israel
| | - Elihu Anouchi
- Department of Physics, Bar Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, IL, 5290002, Israel
- Bar-Ilan Institute of Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials, Ramat-Gan, IL, 5290002, Israel
| | - Tony Yamin
- Department of Physics, Bar Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, IL, 5290002, Israel
- Bar-Ilan Institute of Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials, Ramat-Gan, IL, 5290002, Israel
| | - Srimanta Middey
- Department of Physics, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, 72701, USA
| | - Michael Kareev
- Department of Physics, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, 72701, USA
| | - Jak Chakhalian
- Department of Physics, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, 72701, USA
| | - Yonatan Dubi
- Department of Chemistry, Ben Gurion University, Be'er Sheva, IL, 841050, Israel
- Ilse-Katz Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Be'er Sheva, IL, 8410501, Israel
| | - Amos Sharoni
- Department of Physics, Bar Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, IL, 5290002, Israel
- Bar-Ilan Institute of Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials, Ramat-Gan, IL, 5290002, Israel
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40
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Fowlie J, Gibert M, Tieri G, Gloter A, Íñiguez J, Filippetti A, Catalano S, Gariglio S, Schober A, Guennou M, Kreisel J, Stéphan O, Triscone JM. Conductivity and Local Structure of LaNiO 3 Thin Films. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2017; 29:1605197. [PMID: 28262988 DOI: 10.1002/adma.201605197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2016] [Revised: 01/10/2017] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
A marked conductivity enhancement is reported in 6-11 unit cell LaNiO3 thin films. A maximal conductivity is also observed in ab initio calculations for films of the same thickness. In agreement with results from state of the art scanning transmission electron microscopy, the calculations also reveal a differentiated film structure comprising characteristic surface, interior, and heterointerface structures. Based on this observation, a three-element parallel conductor model is considered and leads to the conclusion that the conductivity enhancement for films of 6-11 unit cells, stems from the onset of intercompetition between the three local structures in the film depth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer Fowlie
- DQMP, Université de Genève, 24 Quai E.-Ansermet, 1211, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Marta Gibert
- DQMP, Université de Genève, 24 Quai E.-Ansermet, 1211, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Giulio Tieri
- DQMP, Université de Genève, 24 Quai E.-Ansermet, 1211, Geneva, Switzerland
- Laboratoire de Physique des Solides, CNRS UMR8502, Université Paris-Sud, 91405, Orsay, France
| | - Alexandre Gloter
- Laboratoire de Physique des Solides, CNRS UMR8502, Université Paris-Sud, 91405, Orsay, France
| | - Jorge Íñiguez
- Materials Research and Technology Department, Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology, 41 Rue du Brill, 4422, Belvaux, Luxembourg
| | - Alessio Filippetti
- Istituto dei Materiali, CNR-IOM and Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Cagliari, Monserrato, 09042-I, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Sara Catalano
- DQMP, Université de Genève, 24 Quai E.-Ansermet, 1211, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Stefano Gariglio
- DQMP, Université de Genève, 24 Quai E.-Ansermet, 1211, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Alexander Schober
- Materials Research and Technology Department, Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology, 41 Rue du Brill, 4422, Belvaux, Luxembourg
| | - Mael Guennou
- Materials Research and Technology Department, Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology, 41 Rue du Brill, 4422, Belvaux, Luxembourg
| | - Jens Kreisel
- Materials Research and Technology Department, Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology, 41 Rue du Brill, 4422, Belvaux, Luxembourg
- Physics and Materials Science Research Unit, University of Luxembourg, 41 Rue du Brill, 4422, Belvaux, Luxembourg
| | - Odile Stéphan
- Laboratoire de Physique des Solides, CNRS UMR8502, Université Paris-Sud, 91405, Orsay, France
| | - Jean-Marc Triscone
- DQMP, Université de Genève, 24 Quai E.-Ansermet, 1211, Geneva, Switzerland
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41
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Surface reconstructions and related local properties of a BiFeO 3 thin film. Sci Rep 2017; 7:39698. [PMID: 28102296 PMCID: PMC5244358 DOI: 10.1038/srep39698] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2016] [Accepted: 11/24/2016] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Coupling between lattice and order parameters, such as polarization in ferroelectrics and/or polarity in polar structures, has a strong impact on surface relaxation and reconstruction. However, up to now, surface structures that involve the termination of both matrix polarization and polar atomic planes have received little attention, particularly on the atomic scale. Here, we study surface structures on a BiFeO3 thin film using atomic-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy and spectroscopy. Two types of surface structure are found, depending on the polarization of the underlying ferroelectric domain. On domains that have an upward polarization component, a layer with an Aurivillius-Bi2O2-like structural unit is observed. Dramatic changes in local properties are measured directly below the surface layer. On domains that have a downward polarization component, no reconstructions are visible. Calculations based on ab initio density functional theory reproduce the results and are used to interpret the formation of the surface structures.
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42
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Wang L, Chang L, Yin X, Rusydi A, You L, Zhou Y, Fang L, Wang J. Localization-driven metal-insulator transition in epitaxial hole-doped Nd 1-x Sr x NiO 3 ultrathin films. JOURNAL OF PHYSICS. CONDENSED MATTER : AN INSTITUTE OF PHYSICS JOURNAL 2017; 29:025002. [PMID: 27845934 DOI: 10.1088/0953-8984/29/2/025002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Advances in thin film growth technologies make it possible to obtain ultra-thin perovskite oxide films and open the window for controlling novel electronic phases for use in functional nanoscale electronics, such as switches and sensors. Here, we study the thickness-dependent transport characteristics of high-quality ultrathin Nd0.9Sr0.1NiO3 (Sr-NNO) films, which were grown on LaAlO3 (0 0 1) single-crystal substrates by using pulsed laser deposition method. Thick Sr-NNO films (25 unit cells) exhibit metallic behavior with the electrical resistivity following the T n (n < 2) law corresponding to a non-Fermi liquid system, while a temperature driven metal-insulator transition (MIT) is observed with films of less than 15 unit cells. The transition temperature increases with reducing film thickness, until the insulating characteristic is observed even at room temperature. The emergence of the insulator ground state can be attributed to weak localization driven MIT expected by considering Mott-Ioffe-Regel limit. Furthermore, the magneto-transport study of Sr-NNO ultrathin films also confirms that the observed MIT is due to the disorder-induced localization rather than the electron-electron interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Le Wang
- School of Material Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798, Singapore
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43
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Först M, Beyerlein KR, Mankowsky R, Hu W, Mattoni G, Catalano S, Gibert M, Yefanov O, Clark JN, Frano A, Glownia JM, Chollet M, Lemke H, Moser B, Collins SP, Dhesi SS, Caviglia AD, Triscone JM, Cavalleri A. Multiple Supersonic Phase Fronts Launched at a Complex-Oxide Heterointerface. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2017; 118:027401. [PMID: 28128616 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.118.027401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2016] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Selective optical excitation of a substrate lattice can drive phase changes across heterointerfaces. This phenomenon is a nonequilibrium analogue of static strain control in heterostructures and may lead to new applications in optically controlled phase change devices. Here, we make use of time-resolved nonresonant and resonant x-ray diffraction to clarify the underlying physics and to separate different microscopic degrees of freedom in space and time. We measure the dynamics of the lattice and that of the charge disproportionation in NdNiO_{3}, when an insulator-metal transition is driven by coherent lattice distortions in the LaAlO_{3} substrate. We find that charge redistribution propagates at supersonic speeds from the interface into the NdNiO_{3} film, followed by a sonic lattice wave. When combined with measurements of magnetic disordering and of the metal-insulator transition, these results establish a hierarchy of events for ultrafast control at complex-oxide heterointerfaces.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Först
- Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
- Center for Free Electron Laser Science, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
| | - K R Beyerlein
- Center for Free Electron Laser Science, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - R Mankowsky
- Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
- Center for Free Electron Laser Science, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
| | - W Hu
- Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
- Center for Free Electron Laser Science, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
| | - G Mattoni
- Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, Delft University of Technology, 2628 CJ Delft, The Netherlands
| | - S Catalano
- Department of Quantum Matter Physics, Université de Genève, 1211 Genève, Switzerland
| | - M Gibert
- Department of Quantum Matter Physics, Université de Genève, 1211 Genève, Switzerland
| | - O Yefanov
- Center for Free Electron Laser Science, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - J N Clark
- Center for Free Electron Laser Science, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
- Stanford Pulse Institute, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California 94025, USA
| | - A Frano
- Materials Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
- Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
| | - J M Glownia
- Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS), SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California 94025, USA
| | - M Chollet
- Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS), SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California 94025, USA
| | - H Lemke
- Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS), SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California 94025, USA
| | - B Moser
- Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot OX11 0DE, United Kingdom
| | - S P Collins
- Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot OX11 0DE, United Kingdom
| | - S S Dhesi
- Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot OX11 0DE, United Kingdom
| | - A D Caviglia
- Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, Delft University of Technology, 2628 CJ Delft, The Netherlands
| | - J-M Triscone
- Department of Quantum Matter Physics, Université de Genève, 1211 Genève, Switzerland
| | - A Cavalleri
- Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
- Center for Free Electron Laser Science, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
- Department of Physics, Clarendon Laboratory, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PU, United Kingdom
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44
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Mattoni G, Zubko P, Maccherozzi F, van der Torren AJH, Boltje DB, Hadjimichael M, Manca N, Catalano S, Gibert M, Liu Y, Aarts J, Triscone JM, Dhesi SS, Caviglia AD. Striped nanoscale phase separation at the metal-insulator transition of heteroepitaxial nickelates. Nat Commun 2016; 7:13141. [PMID: 27804954 PMCID: PMC5097133 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms13141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2016] [Accepted: 09/07/2016] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Nucleation processes of mixed-phase states are an intrinsic characteristic of first-order phase transitions, typically related to local symmetry breaking. Direct observation of emerging mixed-phase regions in materials showing a first-order metal–insulator transition (MIT) offers unique opportunities to uncover their driving mechanism. Using photoemission electron microscopy, we image the nanoscale formation and growth of insulating domains across the temperature-driven MIT in NdNiO3 epitaxial thin films. Heteroepitaxy is found to strongly determine the nanoscale nature of the phase transition, inducing preferential formation of striped domains along the terraces of atomically flat stepped surfaces. We show that the distribution of transition temperatures is a local property, set by surface morphology and stable across multiple temperature cycles. Our data provide new insights into the MIT of heteroepitaxial nickelates and point to a rich, nanoscale phenomenology in this strongly correlated material. Probing the evolution of mixed-phase states in materials offers unique insights into the microscopic mechanism of phase transitions. Here, Mattoni et al. report imaging of nanoscale formation and growth of insulating domains across the metal-insulator transition in NdNiO3 thin films, uncovering a rich interplay between structural and electronic degrees of freedom.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Mattoni
- Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, Delft University of Technology, 2628 CJ Delft, Netherlands
| | - P Zubko
- London Centre for Nanotechnology and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University College London, 17-19 Gordon Street, London WC1H 0HA, UK
| | - F Maccherozzi
- Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Chilton OX11 0DE, UK
| | - A J H van der Torren
- Kamerlingh Onnes-Huygens Laboratory, Leiden University, P.O. Box 9504, 2300 RA Leiden, Netherlands
| | - D B Boltje
- Kamerlingh Onnes-Huygens Laboratory, Leiden University, P.O. Box 9504, 2300 RA Leiden, Netherlands
| | - M Hadjimichael
- London Centre for Nanotechnology and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University College London, 17-19 Gordon Street, London WC1H 0HA, UK
| | - N Manca
- Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, Delft University of Technology, 2628 CJ Delft, Netherlands
| | - S Catalano
- Département de Physique de la Matière Quantique, University of Geneva, 24 Quai Ernest-Ansermet, 1211 Genève 4, Switzerland
| | - M Gibert
- Département de Physique de la Matière Quantique, University of Geneva, 24 Quai Ernest-Ansermet, 1211 Genève 4, Switzerland
| | - Y Liu
- Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Chilton OX11 0DE, UK
| | - J Aarts
- Kamerlingh Onnes-Huygens Laboratory, Leiden University, P.O. Box 9504, 2300 RA Leiden, Netherlands
| | - J-M Triscone
- Département de Physique de la Matière Quantique, University of Geneva, 24 Quai Ernest-Ansermet, 1211 Genève 4, Switzerland
| | - S S Dhesi
- Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Chilton OX11 0DE, UK
| | - A D Caviglia
- Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, Delft University of Technology, 2628 CJ Delft, Netherlands
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45
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Bisogni V, Catalano S, Green RJ, Gibert M, Scherwitzl R, Huang Y, Strocov VN, Zubko P, Balandeh S, Triscone JM, Sawatzky G, Schmitt T. Ground-state oxygen holes and the metal-insulator transition in the negative charge-transfer rare-earth nickelates. Nat Commun 2016; 7:13017. [PMID: 27725665 PMCID: PMC5062575 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms13017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2016] [Accepted: 08/25/2016] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The metal–insulator transition and the intriguing physical properties of rare-earth perovskite nickelates have attracted considerable attention in recent years. Nonetheless, a complete understanding of these materials remains elusive. Here we combine X-ray absorption and resonant inelastic X-ray scattering (RIXS) spectroscopies to resolve important aspects of the complex electronic structure of rare-earth nickelates, taking NdNiO3 thin film as representative example. The unusual coexistence of bound and continuum excitations observed in the RIXS spectra provides strong evidence for abundant oxygen holes in the ground state of these materials. Using cluster calculations and Anderson impurity model interpretation, we show that distinct spectral signatures arise from a Ni 3d8 configuration along with holes in the oxygen 2p valence band, confirming suggestions that these materials do not obey a conventional positive charge-transfer picture, but instead exhibit a negative charge-transfer energy in line with recent models interpreting the metal–insulator transition in terms of bond disproportionation. Rare-earth perovskite nickelates show intriguing metal–insulator transitions, whose mechanism remains elusive. Here, Bisogni et al. evidenced a 3d8 Ni configuration together with abundance of oxygen 2p holes in the ground state of a NdNiO3 thin film, suggesting a negative charge-transfer scenario.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Bisogni
- Research Department Synchrotron Radiation and Nanotechnology, Paul Scherrer Institut, CH-5232 Villigen PSI, Switzerland.,National Synchrotron Light Source II, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York 11973, USA
| | - Sara Catalano
- Department of Quantum Matter Physics, University of Geneva, 24 Quai Ernest-Ansermet, 1211 Geneva 4, Switzerland
| | - Robert J Green
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6T 1Z1.,Quantum Matter Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6T 1Z4
| | - Marta Gibert
- Department of Quantum Matter Physics, University of Geneva, 24 Quai Ernest-Ansermet, 1211 Geneva 4, Switzerland
| | - Raoul Scherwitzl
- Department of Quantum Matter Physics, University of Geneva, 24 Quai Ernest-Ansermet, 1211 Geneva 4, Switzerland
| | - Yaobo Huang
- Research Department Synchrotron Radiation and Nanotechnology, Paul Scherrer Institut, CH-5232 Villigen PSI, Switzerland.,Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, and Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
| | - Vladimir N Strocov
- Research Department Synchrotron Radiation and Nanotechnology, Paul Scherrer Institut, CH-5232 Villigen PSI, Switzerland
| | - Pavlo Zubko
- Department of Quantum Matter Physics, University of Geneva, 24 Quai Ernest-Ansermet, 1211 Geneva 4, Switzerland.,London Centre for Nanotechnology and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University College London, 17-19 Gordon Street, London WC1H 0HA, UK
| | - Shadi Balandeh
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6T 1Z1
| | - Jean-Marc Triscone
- Department of Quantum Matter Physics, University of Geneva, 24 Quai Ernest-Ansermet, 1211 Geneva 4, Switzerland
| | - George Sawatzky
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6T 1Z1.,Quantum Matter Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6T 1Z4
| | - Thorsten Schmitt
- Research Department Synchrotron Radiation and Nanotechnology, Paul Scherrer Institut, CH-5232 Villigen PSI, Switzerland
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46
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Pure electronic metal-insulator transition at the interface of complex oxides. Sci Rep 2016; 6:27934. [PMID: 27324948 PMCID: PMC4914986 DOI: 10.1038/srep27934] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2016] [Accepted: 05/24/2016] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
In complex materials observed electronic phases and transitions between them often involve coupling between many degrees of freedom whose entanglement convolutes understanding of the instigating mechanism. Metal-insulator transitions are one such problem where coupling to the structural, orbital, charge, and magnetic order parameters frequently obscures the underlying physics. Here, we demonstrate a way to unravel this conundrum by heterostructuring a prototypical multi-ordered complex oxide NdNiO3 in ultra thin geometry, which preserves the metal-to-insulator transition and bulk-like magnetic order parameter, but entirely suppresses the symmetry lowering and long-range charge order parameter. These findings illustrate the utility of heterointerfaces as a powerful method for removing competing order parameters to gain greater insight into the nature of the transition, here revealing that the magnetic order generates the transition independently, leading to an exceptionally rare purely electronic metal-insulator transition with no symmetry change.
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47
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Yamin T, Wissberg S, Cohen H, Cohen-Taguri G, Sharoni A. Ultrathin Films of VO2 on r-Cut Sapphire Achieved by Postdeposition Etching. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2016; 8:14863-14870. [PMID: 27183029 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.6b02859] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
The metal-insulator transition (MIT) properties of correlated oxides thin films, such as VO2, are dramatically affected by strain induced at the interface with the substrate, which usually changes with deposition thickness. For VO2 grown on r-cut sapphire, there is a minimum deposition thickness required for a significant MIT to appear, around 60 nm. We show that in these thicker films an interface layer develops, which accompanies the relaxation of film strain and enhanced electronic transition. If these interface dislocations are stable at room temperature, we conjectured, a new route opens to control thickness of VO2 films by postdeposition thinning of relaxed films, overcoming the need for thickness-dependent strain-engineered substrates. This is possible only if thinning does not alter the films' electronic properties. We find that wet etching in a dilute NaOH solution can effectively thin the VO2 films, which continue to show a significant MIT, even when etched to 10 nm, for which directly deposited films show nearly no transition. The structural and chemical composition were not modified by the etching, but the grain size and film roughness were, which modified the hysteresis width and magnitude of the MIT resistance change.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Hagai Cohen
- Department of Chemical Research Support, Weizmann Institute of Science , Rehovot, Israel IL-76100
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48
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Subbarao U, Sarkar S, Jana R, Bera SS, Peter SC. Enhanced Air Stability in REPb3 (RE = Rare Earths) by Dimensional Reduction Mediated Valence Transition. Inorg Chem 2016; 55:5603-11. [PMID: 27187579 DOI: 10.1021/acs.inorgchem.6b00676] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
We conceptually selected the compounds REPb3 (RE = Eu, Yb), which are unstable in air, and converted them to the stable materials in ambient conditions by the chemical processes of "nanoparticle formation" and "dimensional reduction". The nanoparticles and the bulk counterparts were synthesized by the solvothermal and high-frequency induction furnace heating methods, respectively. The reduction of the particle size led to the valence transition of the rare earth atom, which was monitored through magnetic susceptibility and X-ray absorption near edge spectroscopy (XANES) measurements. The stability was checked by X-ray diffraction and thermogravimetric analysis over a period of seven months in oxygen and argon atmospheres and confirmed by XANES. The nanoparticles showed outstanding stability toward aerial oxidation over a period of seven months compared to the bulk counterpart, as the latter one is more prone to the oxidation within a few days.
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Affiliation(s)
- Udumula Subbarao
- New Chemistry Unit, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research , Jakkur, Bangalore 560064, India
| | - Sumanta Sarkar
- New Chemistry Unit, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research , Jakkur, Bangalore 560064, India
| | - Rajkumar Jana
- New Chemistry Unit, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research , Jakkur, Bangalore 560064, India
| | - Sourav S Bera
- New Chemistry Unit, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research , Jakkur, Bangalore 560064, India
| | - Sebastian C Peter
- New Chemistry Unit, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research , Jakkur, Bangalore 560064, India
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49
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Mankowsky R, Först M, Cavalleri A. Non-equilibrium control of complex solids by nonlinear phononics. REPORTS ON PROGRESS IN PHYSICS. PHYSICAL SOCIETY (GREAT BRITAIN) 2016; 79:064503. [PMID: 27223639 DOI: 10.1088/0034-4885/79/6/064503] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
We review some recent advances in the use of optical fields at terahertz frequencies to drive the lattice of complex materials. We will focus on the control of low energy collective properties of solids, which emerge on average when a high frequency vibration is driven and a new crystal structure induced. We first discuss the fundamentals of these lattice rearrangements, based on how anharmonic mode coupling transforms an oscillatory motion into a quasi-static deformation of the crystal structure. We then discuss experiments, in which selectively changing a bond angle turns an insulator into a metal, accompanied by changes in charge, orbital and magnetic order. We then address the case of light induced non-equilibrium superconductivity, a mysterious phenomenon observed in some cuprates and molecular materials when certain lattice vibrations are driven. Finally, we show that the dynamics of electronic and magnetic phase transitions in complex-oxide heterostructures follow distinctly new physical pathways in case of the resonant excitation of a substrate vibrational mode.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roman Mankowsky
- Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
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Grisolia M, Varignon J, Sanchez-Santolino G, Arora A, Valencia S, Varela M, Abrudan R, Weschke E, Schierle E, Rault J, Rueff JP, Barthélémy A, Santamaria J, Bibes M. Hybridization-controlled charge transfer and induced magnetism at correlated oxide interfaces. NATURE PHYSICS 2016; 12:484-492. [PMID: 27158255 PMCID: PMC4856211 DOI: 10.1038/nphys3627] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2015] [Accepted: 12/04/2015] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
At interfaces between conventional materials, band bending and alignment are classically controlled by differences in electrochemical potential. Applying this concept to oxides in which interfaces can be polar and cations may adopt a mixed valence has led to the discovery of novel two-dimensional states between simple band insulators such as LaAlO3 and SrTiO3. However, many oxides have a more complex electronic structure, with charge, orbital and/or spin orders arising from strong Coulomb interactions between transition metal and oxygen ions. Such electronic correlations offer a rich playground to engineer functional interfaces but their compatibility with the classical band alignment picture remains an open question. Here we show that beyond differences in electron affinities and polar effects, a key parameter determining charge transfer at correlated oxide interfaces is the energy required to alter the covalence of the metal-oxygen bond. Using the perovskite nickelate (RNiO3) family as a template, we probe charge reconstruction at interfaces with gadolinium titanate GdTiO3. X-ray absorption spectroscopy shows that the charge transfer is thwarted by hybridization effects tuned by the rare-earth (R) size. Charge transfer results in an induced ferromagnetic-like state in the nickelate, exemplifying the potential of correlated interfaces to design novel phases. Further, our work clarifies strategies to engineer two-dimensional systems through the control of both doping and covalence.
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Affiliation(s)
- M.N. Grisolia
- Unité Mixte de Physique CNRS/Thales, 1 avenue A. Fresnel, 91767 Palaiseau, France, and Université Paris-Sud, 91405 Orsay, France
| | - J. Varignon
- Unité Mixte de Physique CNRS/Thales, 1 avenue A. Fresnel, 91767 Palaiseau, France, and Université Paris-Sud, 91405 Orsay, France
| | - G. Sanchez-Santolino
- GFMC, Departamento Física Aplicada III, Universidad Complutense Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain, and Laboratorio de Heteroestructuras con aplicación en Spintronica, Unidad Asociada CSIC/Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, 3, 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - A. Arora
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialen & Energie, Albert-Einstein-Strasse 15, 12489 Berlin, Germany
| | - S. Valencia
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialen & Energie, Albert-Einstein-Strasse 15, 12489 Berlin, Germany
| | - M. Varela
- GFMC, Departamento Física Aplicada III, Universidad Complutense Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain, and Laboratorio de Heteroestructuras con aplicación en Spintronica, Unidad Asociada CSIC/Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, 3, 28049 Madrid, Spain
- Materials Science & Technology Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, USA
| | - R. Abrudan
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialen & Energie, Albert-Einstein-Strasse 15, 12489 Berlin, Germany
- Institut für Experimentalphysik/Festkörperphysik, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, 44780 Bochum, Germany
| | - E. Weschke
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialen & Energie, Albert-Einstein-Strasse 15, 12489 Berlin, Germany
| | - E. Schierle
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialen & Energie, Albert-Einstein-Strasse 15, 12489 Berlin, Germany
| | - J.E. Rault
- Synchrotron SOLEIL, L'Orme des Merisiers Saint-Aubin, BP 48, 91192 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - J.-P. Rueff
- Synchrotron SOLEIL, L'Orme des Merisiers Saint-Aubin, BP 48, 91192 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - A. Barthélémy
- Unité Mixte de Physique CNRS/Thales, 1 avenue A. Fresnel, 91767 Palaiseau, France, and Université Paris-Sud, 91405 Orsay, France
| | - J. Santamaria
- GFMC, Departamento Física Aplicada III, Universidad Complutense Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain, and Laboratorio de Heteroestructuras con aplicación en Spintronica, Unidad Asociada CSIC/Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, 3, 28049 Madrid, Spain
| | - M. Bibes
- Unité Mixte de Physique CNRS/Thales, 1 avenue A. Fresnel, 91767 Palaiseau, France, and Université Paris-Sud, 91405 Orsay, France
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