Publication
Title
Metal-insulator-transition engineering by modulation tilt-control in perovskite nickelates for room temperature optical switching
Author
Abstract
In transition metal perovskites ABO(3), 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-controlmaterials. 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.
Language
English
Source (journal)
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. - Washington, D.C.
AMERICA
Publication
Washington, D.C. : 2018
ISSN
0027-8424 [Print]
1091-6490 [Online]
DOI
10.1073/PNAS.1807457115
Volume/pages
115 :38 (2018) , p. 9515-9520
ISI
000447224900057
Pubmed ID
30185557
Full text (Publisher's DOI)
Full text (open access)
UAntwerpen
Faculty/Department
Research group
Project info
Interfacing Oxides (IFOX).
Exploring electron vortex beams (VORTEX).
ESTEEM 2 - Enabling science and technology through European electron microscopy.
Revealing the source of emergent properties in complex oxides via direct imaging of charge/orbital/spin ordering.
Bringing light atoms to light: precise characterization of light-atom nanostructures using transmission electron microscopy.
Complex hetero-nanosystems: three-dimensional characterisation down to the atomic scale.
Publication type
Subject
Affiliation
Publications with a UAntwerp address
External links
Web of Science
Record
Identifier
Creation 09.11.2018
Last edited 09.10.2023
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