Doping evolution of the Mott-Hubbard landscape in infinite-layer nickelates

Uncovering an Interfacial Band Resulting from Orbital Hybridization in Nickelate Heterostructures

The interaction of atomic orbitals at the interface of perovskite oxide heterostructures has been investigated for its profound impact on the band structures and electronic properties, giving rise to unique electronic states and a variety of tunable functionalities. In this study, we conducted an extensive investigation of the optical and electronic properties of epitaxial NdNiO3 synthesized on a series of single-crystal substrates. Unlike nanofilms synthesized on other substrates, NdNiO3 on SrTiO3 (NNO/STO) gives rise to a unique band structure featuring an additional unoccupied band situated above the Fermi level. Our comprehensive investigation, which incorporated a wide array of experimental techniques and density functional theory calculations, revealed that the emergence of the interfacial band structure is primarily driven by orbital hybridization between the Ti 3d orbitals of the STO substrate and the O 2p orbitals of the NNO thin film. Furthermore, exciton peaks have been detected in the optical spectra of the NNO/STO film, attributable to the pronounced electron-electron (e-e) and electron-hole (e-h) interactions propagating from the STO substrate into the NNO film. These findings underscore the substantial influence of interfacial orbital hybridization on the electronic structure of oxide thin films, thereby offering key insights into tuning their interfacial properties.

Robust Superconductivity in Infinite-Layer Nickelates

The recent discovery of nickelate superconductivity represents an important step toward understanding the four-decade mastery of unconventional high-temperature superconductivity. However, the synthesis of the infinite-layer nickelate superconductors shows great challenges. Particularly, surface capping layers are usually unitized to facilitate the sample synthesis. This leads to an important question whether nickelate superconductors with d9 configuration and ultralow valence of Ni1+ are in metastable state and whether nickelate superconductivity can be robust? In this work, a series of redox cycling experiments are performed across the phase transition between perovskite Nd0.8Sr0.2NiO3 and infinite-layer Nd0.8Sr0.2NiO2. The infinite-layer Nd0.8Sr0.2NiO2 is quite robust in the redox environment and can survive the cycling experiments with unchanged crystallographic quality. However, as the cycling number goes on, the perovskite Nd0.8Sr0.2NiO3 shows structural degradation, suggesting stability of nickelate superconductivity is not restricted by the ultralow valence of Ni1+, but by the quality of its perovskite precursor. The observed robustness of infinite-layer Nd0.8Sr0.2NiO2 up to ten redox cycles further indicates that if an ideal high-quality perovskite precursor can be obtained, infinite-layer nickelate superconductivity can be very stable and sustainable under environmental conditions. This work provides important implications for potential device applications for nickelate superconductors.

Two-Gap Superconductivity and the Decisive Role of Rare-Earth d Electrons in Infinite-Layer Nickelates

We present a theoretical prediction of a phonon-mediated two-gap superconductivity in infinite-layer nickelates Nd_{1-x}Sr_{x}NiO_{2} by performing ab initio GW and GW perturbation theory calculations. Electron GW self-energy effects significantly alter the characters of the two-band Fermi surface and enhance the electron-phonon coupling, compared with results based on density functional theory. Solutions of the fully k-dependent anisotropic Eliashberg equations yield two dominant s-wave superconducting gaps-a large gap on a band of rare-earth Nd d and interstitial orbital characters and a small gap on a band of transition-metal Ni d character. Increasing hole doping induces a non-rigid-band response in the electronic structure, leading to a rapid drop of the superconducting T_{c} in the overdoped regime in agreement with experiments.

Emergence of Competing Stripe Phases in Undoped Infinite-Layer Nickelates

Recent discovery of superconductivity in infinite-layer nickelates has ignited renewed theoretical and experimental interest in the role of electronic correlations in their properties. Here, using first-principles simulations, we show that the parent compound of the nickelate family, LaNiO_{2}, hosts competing low-energy stripe phases, similar to doped cuprates. The stripe states are shown to be driven by multiorbital electronic mechanisms and Peierls distortions. Our study indicates that both strong correlations and electron-phonon coupling effects play a key role in the physics of infinite-layer nickelates, and sheds light on the microscopic origin of electronic inhomogeneity and the lack of long-range order in the nickelates.

Cuprate-like electronic structures in infinite-layer nickelates with substantial hole dopings

Superconducting infinite-layer (IL) nickelates offer a new platform for investigating the long-standing problem of high-temperature superconductivity. Many models were proposed to understand the superconducting mechanism of nickelates based on the calculated electronic structure, and the multiple Fermi surfaces and multiple orbitals involved create complications and controversial conclusions. Over the past five years, the lack of direct measurements of the electronic structure has hindered the understanding of nickelate superconductors. Here we fill this gap by directly resolving the electronic structures of the parent compound LaNiO2 and superconducting La0.8Ca0.2NiO2 using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. We find that their Fermi surfaces consist of a quasi-2D hole pocket and a 3D electron pocket at the Brillouin zone corner, whose volumes change upon Ca doping. The Fermi surface topology and band dispersion of the hole pocket closely resemble those observed in hole-doped cuprates. However, the cuprate-like band exhibits significantly higher hole doping in superconducting La0.8Ca0.2NiO2 compared to superconducting cuprates, highlighting the disparities in the electronic states of the superconducting phase. Our observations highlight the novel aspects of the IL nickelates, and pave the way toward the microscopic understanding of the IL nickelate family and its superconductivity.

Magnetic excitations in strained infinite-layer nickelate PrNiO2 films

Strongly correlated materials respond sensitively to external perturbations such as strain, pressure, and doping. In the recently discovered superconducting infinite-layer nickelates, the superconducting transition temperature can be enhanced via only ~ 1% compressive strain-tuning with the root of such enhancement still being elusive. Using resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS), we investigate the magnetic excitations in infinite-layer PrNiO2 thin films grown on two different substrates, namely SrTiO3 (STO) and (LaAlO3)0.3(Sr2TaAlO6)0.7 (LSAT) enforcing different strain on the nickelates films. The magnon bandwidth of PrNiO2 shows only marginal response to strain-tuning, in sharp contrast to the enhancement of the superconducting transition temperature Tc in the doped superconducting samples. These results suggest the bandwidth of spin excitations of the parent compounds is similar under strain while Tc in the doped ones is not, and thus provide important empirics for the understanding of superconductivity in infinite-layer nickelates.

Atomic scale disorder and reconstruction in bulk infinite-layer nickelates lacking superconductivity

The recent discovery of superconductivity in infinite-layer nickelate films has sparked significant interest and expanded the realm of superconductors, in which the infinite-layer structure and proper chemical doping are both of the essence. Nonetheless, the reasons for the absence of superconductivity in bulk infinite-layer nickelates remain puzzling. Herein, we investigate atomic defects and electronic structures in bulk infinite-layer Nd0.8Sr0.2NiO2 using scanning transmission electron microscopy. Our observations reveal the presence of three-dimensional (3D) block-like structural domains resulting from intersecting defect structures, disrupting the continuity within crystal grains, which could be a crucial factor in giving rise to the insulating character and inhibiting the emergence of superconductivity. Moreover, the infinite-layer structure, without complete topotactic reduction, retains interstitial oxygen atoms on the Nd atomic plane in bulk nickelates, possibly further aggravating the local distortions of NiO2 planes and hindering the superconductivity. These findings shed light on the existence of structural and atomic defects in bulk nickelates and provide valuable insights into the influence of proper topotactic reduction and structural orders on superconductivity.

Visualization of oxygen vacancies and self-doped ligand holes in La3Ni2O7-δ

The recent discovery of superconductivity in La3Ni2O7-δ under high pressure with a transition temperature around 80 K (ref. 1) has sparked extensive experimental2-6 and theoretical efforts7-12. Several key questions regarding the pairing mechanism remain to be answered, such as the most relevant atomic orbitals and the role of atomic deficiencies. Here we develop a new, energy-filtered, multislice electron ptychography technique, assisted by electron energy-loss spectroscopy, to address these critical issues. Oxygen vacancies are directly visualized and are found to primarily occupy the inner apical sites, which have been proposed to be crucial to superconductivity13,14. We precisely determine the nanoscale stoichiometry and its correlation to the oxygen K-edge spectra, which reveals a significant inhomogeneity in the oxygen content and electronic structure within the sample. The spectroscopic results also reveal that stoichiometric La3Ni2O7 has strong charge-transfer characteristics, with holes that are self-doped from Ni sites into O sites. The ligand holes mainly reside on the inner apical O and the planar O, whereas the density on the outer apical O is negligible. As the concentration of O vacancies increases, ligand holes on both sites are simultaneously annihilated. These observations will assist in further development and understanding of superconducting nickelate materials. Our imaging technique for quantifying atomic deficiencies can also be widely applied in materials science and condensed-matter physics.

Toward Reliable Synthesis of Superconducting Infinite Layer Nickelate Thin Films by Topochemical Reduction

Infinite layer (IL) nickelates provide a new route beyond copper oxides to address outstanding questions in the field of unconventional superconductivity. However, their synthesis poses considerable challenges, largely hindering experimental research on this new class of oxide superconductors. That synthesis is achieved in a two-step process that yields the most thermodynamically stable perovskite phase first, then the IL phase by topotactic reduction, the quality of the starting phase playing a crucial role. Here, a reliable synthesis of superconducting IL  nickelate films is reported after successive topochemical reductions of a parent perovskite phase with nearly optimal stoichiometry. Careful analysis of the transport properties of the incompletely reduced films reveals an improvement in the strange metal behavior of their normal state resistivity over subsequent topochemical reductions, offering insight into the reduction process.

The Quest for High-Temperature Superconductivity in Nickelates under Ambient Pressure

Recently, superconductivity with Tc ≈ 80 K was discovered in La3Ni2O7 under extreme hydrostatic pressure (>14 GPa). For practical applications, we needed to stabilize this state at ambient pressure. It was proposed that this could be accomplished by substituting La with Ba. To put this hypothesis to the test, we used the state-of-the-art atomic-layer-by-layer molecular beam epitaxy (ALL-MBE) technique to synthesize (La1-xBax)3Ni2O7 films, varying x and the distribution of La (lanthanum) and Ba (barium). Regrettably, none of the compositions we explored could be stabilized epitaxially; the targeted compounds decomposed immediately into a mixture of other phases. So, this path to high-temperature superconductivity in nickelates at ambient pressure does not seem promising.

Absence of 3a0 charge density wave order in the infinite-layer nickelate NdNiO2

A hallmark of many unconventional superconductors is the presence of many-body interactions that give rise to broken-symmetry states intertwined with superconductivity. Recent resonant soft X-ray scattering experiments report commensurate 3a0 charge density wave order in infinite-layer nickelates, which has important implications regarding the universal interplay between charge order and superconductivity in both cuprates and nickelates. Here we present X-ray scattering and spectroscopy measurements on a series of NdNiO2+x samples, which reveal that the signatures of charge density wave order are absent in fully reduced, single-phase NdNiO2. The 3a0 superlattice peak instead originates from a partially reduced impurity phase where excess apical oxygens form ordered rows with three-unit-cell periodicity. The absence of any observable charge density wave order in NdNiO2 highlights a crucial difference between the phase diagrams of cuprate and nickelate superconductors.

Spin-related Cu-Co pair to increase electrochemical ammonia generation on high-entropy oxides

The electrochemical conversion of nitrate to ammonia is a way to eliminate nitrate pollutant in water. Cu-Co synergistic effect was found to produce excellent performance in ammonia generation. However, few studies have focused on this effect in high-entropy oxides. Here, we report the spin-related Cu-Co synergistic effect on electrochemical nitrate-to-ammonia conversion using high-entropy oxide Mg0.2Co0.2Ni0.2Cu0.2Zn0.2O. In contrast, the Li-incorporated MgCoNiCuZnO exhibits inferior performance. By correlating the electronic structure, we found that the Co spin states are crucial for the Cu-Co synergistic effect for ammonia generation. The Cu-Co pair with a high spin Co in Mg0.2Co0.2Ni0.2Cu0.2Zn0.2O can facilitate ammonia generation, while a low spin Co in Li-incorporated MgCoNiCuZnO decreases the Cu-Co synergistic effect on ammonia generation. These findings offer important insights in employing the synergistic effect and spin states inside for selective catalysis. It also indicates the generality of the magnetic effect in ammonia synthesis between electrocatalysis and thermal catalysis.

Kondo scattering in underdoped Nd1-xSrxNiO2 infinite-layer superconducting thin films

The recent discovery of superconductivity in infinite-layer nickelates generates tremendous research endeavors, but the ground state of their parent compounds is still under debate. Here, we report experimental evidence for the dominant role of Kondo scattering in the underdoped Nd1-xSrxNiO2 thin films. A resistivity minimum associated with logarithmic temperature dependence in both longitudinal and Hall resistivities are observed in the underdoped Nd1-xSrxNiO2 samples before the superconducting transition. At lower temperatures down to 0.04 K, the resistivities become saturated, following the prediction of the Kondo model. A linear scaling behavior [Formula: see text] between anomalous Hall conductivity [Formula: see text] and conductivity [Formula: see text]is revealed, verifying the dominant Kondo scattering at low temperature. The effect of weak (anti-)localization is found to be secondary. Our experiments can help in clarifying the basic physics in the underdoped Nd1-xSrxNiO2 infinite-layer thin films.

Photoinduced Phase Transition in Infinite-Layer Nickelates

The quantum phase transition caused by regulating the electronic correlation in strongly correlated quantum materials has been a research hotspot in condensed matter science. Herein, a photon-induced quantum phase transition from the Kondo-Mott insulating state to the low temperature metallic one accompanying with the magnetoresistance changing from negative to positive in the infinite-layer NdNiO2 films is reported, where the antiferromagnetic coupling among the Ni1+ localized spins and the Kondo effect are effectively suppressed by manipulating the correlation of Ni-3d and Nd-5d electrons under the photoirradiation. Moreover, the critical temperature Tc of the superconducting-like transition exhibits a dome-shaped evolution with the maximum up to ≈42 K, and the electrons dominate the transport process proved by the Hall effect measurements. These findings not only make the photoinduction a promising way to control the quantum phase transition by manipulating the electronic correlation in Mott-like insulators, but also shed some light on the possibility of the superconducting in electron-doped nickelates.

An electronic origin of charge order in infinite-layer nickelates

A charge order (CO) with a wavevector [Formula: see text] is observed in infinite-layer nickelates. Here we use first-principles calculations to demonstrate a charge-transfer-driven CO mechanism in infinite-layer nickelates, which leads to a characteristic Ni1+-Ni2+-Ni1+ stripe state. For every three Ni atoms, due to the presence of near-Fermi-level conduction bands, Hubbard interaction on Ni-d orbitals transfers electrons on one Ni atom to conduction bands and leaves electrons on the other two Ni atoms to become more localized. We further derive a low-energy effective model to elucidate that the CO state arises from a delicate competition between Hubbard interaction on Ni-d orbitals and charge transfer energy between Ni-d orbitals and conduction bands. With physically reasonable parameters, [Formula: see text] CO state is more stable than uniform paramagnetic state and usual checkerboard antiferromagnetic state. Our work highlights the multi-band nature of infinite-layer nickelates, which leads to some distinctive correlated properties that are not found in cuprates.

Linear-in-temperature resistivity for optimally superconducting (Nd,Sr)NiO2

The occurrence of superconductivity in proximity to various strongly correlated phases of matter has drawn extensive focus on their normal state properties, to develop an understanding of the state from which superconductivity emerges^1-4. The recent finding of superconductivity in layered nickelates raises similar interests^5-8. However, transport measurements of doped infinite-layer nickelate thin films have been hampered by materials limitations of these metastable compounds: in particular, a high density of extended defects^9-11. Here, by moving to a substrate (LaAlO₃)_0.3(Sr₂TaAlO₆)_0.7 that better stabilizes the growth and reduction conditions, we can synthesize the doping series of Nd_1-xSr_xNiO₂ essentially free from extended defects. In their absence, the normal state resistivity shows a low-temperature upturn in the underdoped regime, linear behaviour near optimal doping and quadratic temperature dependence for overdoping. This is phenomenologically similar to the copper oxides^2,12 despite key distinctions-namely, the absence of an insulating parent compound^5,6,9,10, multiband electronic structure^13,14 and a Mott-Hubbard orbital alignment rather than the charge-transfer insulator of the copper oxides^15,16. We further observe an enhancement of superconductivity, both in terms of transition temperature and range of doping. These results indicate a convergence in the electronic properties of both superconducting families as the scale of disorder in the nickelates is reduced.

Intrinsic Coherence Length Anisotropy in Nickelates and Some Iron-Based Superconductors

Nickelate superconductors, R_1-xA_xNiO₂ (where R is a rare earth metal and A = Sr, Ca), experimentally discovered in 2019, exhibit many unexplained mysteries, such as the existence of a superconducting state with T_c (up to 18 K) in thin films and yet absent in bulk materials. Another unexplained mystery of nickelates is their temperature-dependent upper critical field, Bc2(T), which can be nicely fitted to two-dimensional (2D) models; however, the deduced film thickness, dsc,GL, exceeds the physical film thickness, dsc, by a manifold. To address the latter, it should be noted that 2D models assume that dsc is less than the in-plane and out-of-plane ground-state coherence lengths, dsc<ξab(0) and dsc<ξc(0), respectively, and, in addition, that the inequality ξc(0)<ξab(0) satisfies. Analysis of the reported experimental Bc2(T) data showed that at least one of these conditions does not satisfy for R_1-xA_xNiO₂ films. This implies that nickelate films are not 2D superconductors, despite the superconducting state being observed only in thin films. Based on this, here we propose an analytical three-dimensional (3D) model for a global data fit of in-plane and out-of-plane Bc2(T) in nickelates. The model is based on a heuristic expression for temperature-dependent coherence length anisotropy: γξ(T)=γξ(0)1-1a×TTc, where a>1 is a unitless free-fitting parameter. The proposed expression for γξ(T), perhaps, has a much broader application because it has been successfully applied to bulk pnictide and chalcogenide superconductors.

Effects of rare-earth magnetism on the superconducting upper critical field in infinite-layer nickelates

The search for superconductivity in infinite-layer nickelates was motivated by analogy to the cuprates, and this perspective has framed much of the initial consideration of this material. However, a growing number of studies have highlighted the involvement of rare-earth orbitals; in that context, the consequences of varying the rare-earth element in the superconducting nickelates have been much debated. Here, we show notable differences in the magnitude and anisotropy of the superconducting upper critical field across the La-, Pr-, and Nd-nickelates. These distinctions originate from the 4f electron characteristics of the rare-earth ions in the lattice: They are absent for La³⁺, nonmagnetic for the Pr³⁺ singlet ground state, and magnetic for the Nd³⁺ Kramer's doublet. The unique polar and azimuthal angle-dependent magnetoresistance found in the Nd-nickelates can be understood to arise from the magnetic contribution of the Nd³⁺ 4f moments. Such robust and tunable superconductivity suggests potential in future high-field applications.

Rare-earth control of phase transitions in infinite-layer nickelates

Perovskite nickelates RNiO3 (R = rare-earth ion) exhibit complex rare-earth ion dependent phase diagram and high tunability of various appealing properties. Here, combining first- and finite-temperature second-principles calculations, we explicitly demonstrate that the superior merits of the interplay among lattice, electron, and spin degrees of freedom can be passed to RNiO2, which recently gained significant interest as superconductors. We unveil that decreasing the rare-earth size directly modulates the structural, electronic, and magnetic properties and naturally groups infinite-layer nickelates into two categories in terms of the Fermi surface and magnetic dimensionality: compounds with large rare-earth sizes (La, Pr) closely resemble the key properties of CaCuO2, showing quasi-two-dimensional (2D) antiferromagnetic (AFM) correlations and strongly localized d x 2 - y 2 orbitals around the Fermi level; the compounds with small rare-earth sizes (Nd-Lu) are highly analogous to ferropnictides, showing three-dimensional (3D) magnetic dimensionality and strong k z dispersion of d 3 z 2 - r 2 electrons at the Fermi level. Additionally, we highlight that RNiO2 with R = Nd-Lu exhibit on cooling a structural transition with the appearance of oxygen rotation motion, which is softened by the reduction of rare-earth size and enhanced by spin-rotation couplings. The rare-earth control of k z dispersion and structural phase transition might be the key factors differentiating the distinct upper critical field and resistivity in different compounds. The established original phase diagram summarizing the temperature and rare-earth controlled structural, electronic, and magnetic transitions in RNiO2 compounds provides rich structural and chemical flexibility to tailor the superconducting property.

Resolving the polar interface of infinite-layer nickelate thin films

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 Nd_1-xSr_xNiO₂ 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.

Geometric frustration of Jahn-Teller order in the infinite-layer lattice

The Jahn-Teller effect, in which electronic configurations with energetically degenerate orbitals induce lattice distortions to lift this degeneracy, has a key role in many symmetry-lowering crystal deformations¹. Lattices of Jahn-Teller ions can induce a cooperative distortion, as exemplified by LaMnO₃ (refs. ^2,3). Although many examples occur in octahedrally⁴ or tetrahedrally⁵ coordinated transition metal oxides due to their high orbital degeneracy, this effect has yet to be manifested for square-planar anion coordination, as found in infinite-layer copper^6,7, nickel^8,9, iron^10,11 and manganese oxides¹². Here we synthesize single-crystal CaCoO₂ thin films by topotactic reduction of the brownmillerite CaCoO_2.5 phase. We observe a markedly distorted infinite-layer structure, with ångström-scale displacements of the cations from their high-symmetry positions. This can be understood to originate from the Jahn-Teller degeneracy of the d_xz and d_yz orbitals in the d⁷ electronic configuration along with substantial ligand-transition metal mixing. A complex pattern of distortions arises in a [Formula: see text] tetragonal supercell, reflecting the competition between an ordered Jahn-Teller effect on the CoO₂ sublattice and the geometric frustration of the associated displacements of the Ca sublattice, which are strongly coupled in the absence of apical oxygen. As a result of this competition, the CaCoO₂ structure forms an extended two-in-two-out type of Co distortion following 'ice rules'¹³.

Stoichiometry, Orbital Configuration, and Metal-to-Insulator Transition in Nd0.8Sr0.2NiO3 Films

The discovery of superconductivity in the infinite-layer nickelate Nd_0.8Sr_0.2NiO₂ has motivated tremendous efforts for its significance toward the understanding of high-temperature superconductivity. However, the synthesis of infinite-layer nickelates is instable and has become a hindrance to experimental progress. Optimizing the growth of precursor Nd_0.8Sr_0.2NiO₃ by pulsed laser deposition is crucial for obtaining infinite-layer nickelates. By systematically investigating the growth of Nd_0.8Sr_0.2NiO₃ with wide range of conditions, we found that the laser fluence plays a critical role in determining the stoichiometry, lattice structure, and electronic properties. A higher Ni deficiency and larger c-axis lattice constant appeared with the lower laser fluence. At 0.6 J/cm², the Ni deficiency is as large as 25%. According to X-ray absorption spectra and X-ray linear dichroism, we further find that (i) there are no obvious changes of the Ni valence and (ii) the energy level of the d_x²-y² orbital gradually increases relative to the d_3z²-r² orbital with increasing Ni deficiency. What is more, the onset temperature and magnitude of the resistivity change at the metal-to-insulator transitions (MITs) also are found to decrease with increasing laser fluence during the growth.

Electronic structure and correlations in planar trilayer nickelate Pr4Ni3O8

The discovery of superconductivity in planar nickelates raises the question of how the electronic structure and correlations of Ni¹⁺ compounds compare to those of the Cu²⁺ cuprate superconductors. Here, we present an angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) study of the trilayer nickelate Pr₄Ni₃O₈, revealing a Fermi surface resembling that of the hole-doped cuprates but with critical differences. Specifically, the main portions of the Fermi surface are extremely similar to that of the bilayer cuprates, with an additional piece that can accommodate additional hole doping. We find that the electronic correlations are about twice as strong in the nickelates and are almost k-independent, indicating that they originate from a local effect, likely the Mott interaction, whereas cuprate interactions are somewhat less local. Nevertheless, the nickelates still demonstrate the strange-metal behavior in the electron scattering rates. Understanding the similarities and differences between these two families of strongly correlated superconductors is an important challenge.

Charge density waves in infinite-layer NdNiO2 nickelates

In materials science, much effort has been devoted to the reproduction of superconductivity in chemical compositions, analogous to cuprate superconductors since their discovery over 30 years ago. This approach was recently successful in realising superconductivity in infinite-layer nickelates^1-6. Although differing from cuprates in electronic and magnetic properties, strong Coulomb interactions suggest that infinite-layer nickelates have a propensity towards various symmetry-breaking orders that populate cuprates^7-10. Here we report the observation of charge density waves (CDWs) in infinite-layer NdNiO₂ films using Ni L₃ resonant X-ray scattering. Remarkably, CDWs form in Nd 5d and Ni 3d orbitals at the same commensurate wavevector (0.333, 0) reciprocal lattice units, with non-negligible out-of-plane dependence and an in-plane correlation length of up to ~60 Å. Spectroscopic studies reveal a strong connection between CDWs and Nd 5d-Ni 3d orbital hybridization. Upon entering the superconducting state at 20% Sr doping, the CDWs disappear. Our work demonstrates the existence of CDWs in infinite-layer nickelates with a multiorbital character distinct from cuprates, which establishes their low-energy physics.

Superconducting Instabilities in Strongly Correlated Infinite-Layer Nickelates

The discovery of superconductivity in infinite-layer nickelates has added a new family of materials to the fascinating growing class of unconventional superconductors. By incorporating the strongly correlated multiorbital nature of the low-energy electronic degrees of freedom, we compute the leading superconducting instability from magnetic fluctuations relevant for infinite-layer nickelates. Specifically, by properly including the doping dependence of the Ni d_{x^{2}-y^{2}} and d_{z^{2}} orbitals as well as the self-doping band, we uncover a transition from d-wave pairing symmetry to nodal s_{±} superconductivity, driven by strong fluctuations in the d_{z^{2}}-dominated orbital states. We discuss the properties of the resulting superconducting condensates in light of recent tunneling and penetration depth experiments probing the detailed superconducting gap structure of these materials.

Pressure-induced monotonic enhancement of Tc to over 30 K in superconducting Pr0.82Sr0.18NiO2 thin films

The successful synthesis of superconducting infinite-layer nickelate thin films with the highest T_c ≈ 15 K has ignited great enthusiasm for this material class as potential analogs of the high-T_c cuprates. Pursuing a higher T_c is always an imperative task in studying a new superconducting material system. Here we report high-quality Pr_0.82Sr_0.18NiO₂ thin films with T_c^onset ≈ 17 K synthesized by carefully tuning the amount of CaH₂ in the topotactic chemical reduction and the effect of pressure on its superconducting properties by measuring electrical resistivity under various pressures in a cubic anvil cell apparatus. We find that the onset temperature of the superconductivity, T_c^onset, can be enhanced monotonically from ~17 K at ambient pressure to ~31 K at 12.1 GPa without showing signatures of saturation upon increasing pressure. This encouraging result indicates that the T_c of infinite-layer nickelates superconductors still has room to go higher and it can be further boosted by applying higher pressures or strain engineering in the heterostructure films.

Charge and Spin Order Dichotomy in NdNiO_{2} Driven by the Capping Layer

Superconductivity in infinite-layer nickelates holds exciting analogies with that of cuprates, with similar structures and 3d-electron count. Using resonant inelastic x-ray scattering, we studied electronic and magnetic excitations and charge density correlations in Nd_{1-x}Sr_{x}NiO_{2} thin films with and without an SrTiO_{3} capping layer. We observe dispersing magnons only in the capped samples, progressively dampened at higher doping. We detect an elastic resonant scattering peak in the uncapped x=0 compound at wave vector (∼⅓,0), remindful of the charge order signal in hole doped cuprates. The peak weakens at x=0.05 and disappears in the superconducting x=0.20 film. The role of the capping on the electronic reconstruction far from the interface remains to be understood.

Dimensionality-Controlled Evolution of Charge-Transfer Energy in Digital Nickelates Superlattices

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.

Superconductivity in infinite-layer nickelates

The recent discovery of the superconductivity in the doped infinite layer nickelatesRNiO₂(R= La, Pr, Nd) is of great interest since the nickelates are isostructural to doped (Ca, Sr)CuO₂having superconducting transition temperature (T_c) of about 110 K. Verifying the commonalities and differences between these oxides will certainly give a new insight into the mechanism of highT_csuperconductivity in correlated electron systems. In this paper, we review experimental and theoretical works on this new superconductor and discuss the future perspectives for the 'nickel age' of superconductivity.

Ruddlesden–Popper Faults in NdNiO3 Thin Films

The NdNiO3 (NNO) system has attracted a considerable amount of attention owing to the discovery of superconductivity in Nd0.8Sr0.2NiO2. In rare-earth nickelates, Ruddlesden–Popper (RP) faults play a significant role in functional properties, motivating our exploration of its microstructural characteristics and the electronic structure. Here, we employed aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy and spectroscopy to study a NdNiO3 film grown by layer-by-layer molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). We found RP faults with multiple configurations in high-angle annular dark-field images. Elemental intermixing occurs at the SrTiO3–NdNiO3 interface and in the RP fault regions. Quantitative analysis of the variation in lattice constants indicates that large strains exist around the substrate–film interface. We demonstrate that the Ni valence change around RP faults is related to a strain and structure variation. This work provides insights into the microstructure and electronic-structure modifications around RP faults in nickelates.

Superconductivity in infinite-layer nickelate La1-xCaxNiO2 thin films

We report the observation of superconductivity in infinite-layer Ca-doped LaNiO₂ (La_1-xCa_xNiO₂) thin films and construct their phase diagram. Unlike the metal-insulator transition in Nd- and Pr-based nickelates, the undoped and underdoped La_1-xCa_xNiO₂ thin films are entirely insulating from 300 K down to 2 K. A superconducting dome is observed at 0.15 < x < 0.3 with weakly insulating behavior at the overdoped regime. Moreover, the sign of the Hall coefficient R_H changes at low temperature for samples with a higher doping level. However, distinct from the Nd- and Pr-based nickelates, the R_H-sign-change temperature remains at around 35 K as the doping increases, which begs further theoretical and experimental investigation to reveal the role of the 4f orbital to the (multi)band nature of the superconducting nickelates. Our results also emphasize a notable role of lattice correlation on the multiband structures of the infinite-layer nickelates.

Observation of perfect diamagnetism and interfacial effect on the electronic structures in infinite layer Nd0.8Sr0.2NiO2 superconductors

Nickel-based complex oxides have served as a playground for decades in the quest for a copper-oxide analog of the high-temperature superconductivity. They may provide clues towards understanding the mechanism and an alternative route for high-temperature superconductors. The recent discovery of superconductivity in the infinite-layer nickelate thin films has fulfilled this pursuit. However, material synthesis remains challenging, direct demonstration of perfect diamagnetism is still missing, and understanding of the role of the interface and bulk to the superconducting properties is still lacking. Here, we show high-quality Nd_0.8Sr_0.2NiO₂ thin films with different thicknesses and demonstrate the interface and strain effects on the electrical, magnetic and optical properties. Perfect diamagnetism is achieved, confirming the occurrence of superconductivity in the films. Unlike the thick films in which the normal-state Hall-coefficient changes signs as the temperature decreases, the Hall-coefficient of films thinner than 5.5 nm remains negative, suggesting a thickness-driven band structure modification. Moreover, X-ray absorption spectroscopy reveals the Ni-O hybridization nature in doped infinite-layer nickelates, and the hybridization is enhanced as the thickness decreases. Consistent with band structure calculations on the nickelate/SrTiO₃ heterostructure, the interface and strain effect induce a dominating electron-like band in the ultrathin film, thus causing the sign-change of the Hall-coefficient.

Nickelate superconductors attract enormous attention in the field of high-temperature superconductivity. Here the authors report observation of perfect diamagnetism and interfacial effect on the electronic structures in infinite layer Nd_0.8Sr_0.2NiO₂ superconductors.

Superconductivity in a quintuple-layer square-planar nickelate

Since the discovery of high-temperature superconductivity in copper oxide materials¹, there have been sustained efforts to both understand the origins of this phase and discover new cuprate-like superconducting materials². One prime materials platform has been the rare-earth nickelates and, indeed, superconductivity was recently discovered in the doped compound Nd_0.8Sr_0.2NiO₂ (ref. ³). Undoped NdNiO₂ belongs to a series of layered square-planar nickelates with chemical formula Nd_n+1Ni_nO_2n+2 and is known as the 'infinite-layer' (n = ∞) nickelate. Here we report the synthesis of the quintuple-layer (n = 5) member of this series, Nd₆Ni₅O₁₂, in which optimal cuprate-like electron filling (d^8.8) is achieved without chemical doping. We observe a superconducting transition beginning at ~13 K. Electronic structure calculations, in tandem with magnetoresistive and spectroscopic measurements, suggest that Nd₆Ni₅O₁₂ interpolates between cuprate-like and infinite-layer nickelate-like behaviour. In engineering a distinct superconducting nickelate, we identify the square-planar nickelates as a new family of superconductors that can be tuned via both doping and dimensionality.

Superconductivity in nickel-based 112 systems

Superconductivity has been discovered recently in infinite-layer nickel-based 112 thin films R_1−xA_xNiO₂ (R = La, Nd, Pr and A = Sr, Ca). They are isostructural to the infinite-layer cuprate (Ca,Sr)CuO₂ and are supposed to have a formal Ni 3d⁹ valence, thus providing a new platform to study the unconventional pairing mechanism of high-temperature superconductors. This important discovery immediately triggers a huge amount of innovative scientific curiosity in the field. In this paper, we try to give an overview of the recent research progress on the newly found superconducting nickelate systems, both from experimental and theoretical aspects. We mainly focus on the electronic structures, magnetic excitations, phase diagrams and superconducting gaps, and finally make some open discussions for possible pairing symmetries in Ni-based 112 systems.

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The infinite-layer nickel-based 112 thin films R_1−xA_xNiO₂ can host superconductivity up to 15 K

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R_1−xA_xNiO₂ is a multiband system, in which the short-range antiferromagnetic fluctuations can be detected

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R_1−xA_xNiO₂ has an unconventional superconducting pairing sate with a robust d-wave gap and a full gap without unified understanding

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The nickelate system provides a new platform for researching unconventional superconductivity

Topotactic transformation of single crystals: From perovskite to infinite-layer nickelates

Topotactic transformations between related crystal structures are a powerful emerging route for the synthesis of novel quantum materials. Whereas most such “soft chemistry” experiments have been carried out on polycrystalline powders or thin films, the topotactic modification of single crystals, the gold standard for physical property measurements on quantum materials, has been studied only sparsely. Here, we report the topotactic reduction of La_1−xCa_xNiO₃ single crystals to La_1−xCa_xNiO_2+δ using CaH₂ as the reducing agent. The transformation from the three-dimensional perovskite to the quasi–two-dimensional infinite-layer phase was thoroughly characterized by x-ray diffraction, electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, magnetometry, and electrical transport measurements. Our work demonstrates that the infinite-layer structure can be realized as a bulk phase in crystals with micrometer-sized single domains. The electronic properties of these specimens resemble those of epitaxial thin films rather than powders with similar compositions.

Hund Physics Landscape of Two-Orbital Systems

Motivated by the recent discovery of superconductivity in infinite-layer nickelates RE_{1-δ}Sr_{δ}NiO_{2} (RE=Nd, Pr), we study the role of Hund coupling J in a quarter-filled two-orbital Hubbard model, which has been on the periphery of the attention. A region of negative effective Coulomb interaction of this model is revealed to be differentiated from three- and five-orbital models in their typical Hund metal active fillings. We identify distinctive regimes including four different correlated metals, one of which stems from the proximity to a Mott insulator, while the other three, which we call "intermediate" metal, weak Hund metal, and valence-skipping metal, from the effect of J being away from Mottness. Defining criteria characterizing these metals is suggested, establishing the existence of Hund metallicity in two-orbital systems.

Optical Properties of the Infinite-Layer La_{1-x}Sr_{x}NiO_{2} and Hidden Hund's Physics

We investigate the optical properties of the normal state of the infinite-layer La_{1-x}Sr_{x}NiO_{2} using density functional theory plus dynamical mean-field theory. We find a correlated metal which exhibits substantial transfer of spectral weight to high energies relative to the density functional theory. The correlations are not due to Mott physics, which would suppress the charge fluctuations and the integrated optical spectral weight as we approach a putative insulating state. Instead, we find the unusual situation, that the integrated optical spectral weight decreases with doping and increases with increasing temperature. We contrast this with the coherent component of the optical conductivity, which decreases with increasing temperature as a result of a coherence-incoherence crossover. Our studies reveal that the effective crystal field splitting is dynamical and increases strongly at low frequency. This leads to a picture of a Hund's metallic state, where dynamical orbital fluctuations are visible at intermediate energies, while at low energies a Fermi surface with primarily d_{x^{2}-y^{2}} character emerges. The infinite-layer nickelates are thus in an intermediate position between the iron based high temperature superconductors where multiorbital Hund's physics dominates and a one-band system such as the cuprates. To capture this physics we propose a low-energy two-band model with atom centered e_{g} states.

Strong Superexchange in a d^{9-δ} Nickelate Revealed by Resonant Inelastic X-Ray Scattering

The discovery of superconductivity in a d^{9-δ} nickelate has inspired disparate theoretical perspectives regarding the essential physics of this class of materials. A key issue is the magnitude of the magnetic superexchange, which relates to whether cuprate-like high-temperature nickelate superconductivity could be realized. We address this question using Ni L-edge and O K-edge spectroscopy of the reduced d^{9-1/3} trilayer nickelates R_{4}Ni_{3}O_{8} (where R=La, Pr) and associated theoretical modeling. A magnon energy scale of ∼80  meV resulting from a nearest-neighbor magnetic exchange of J=69(4)  meV is observed, proving that d^{9-δ} nickelates can host a large superexchange. This value, along with that of the Ni-O hybridization estimated from our O K-edge data, implies that trilayer nickelates represent an intermediate case between the infinite-layer nickelates and the cuprates. Layered nickelates thus provide a route to testing the relevance of superexchange to nickelate superconductivity.