Metal-Insulator Transitions in Freestanding NdNiO3 Films

ORAL

Abstract

Complex transition metal oxides, owing to their correlated d electrons, provide an ideal playground for manipulation of charge, spin, orbital and lattice degrees of freedom. The metal-insulator transition (MIT) in rare-earth nickelates is a representative example, where the phases and the ground states of thin films can be tuned through epitaxial strain and geometric design. Recent research interest has been focused on the role of the strain field on the Ni-O-Ni bonds and the corresponding electronic structure, which play a vital role in controlling the MIT. Here we report the fabrication of freestanding single-crystalline NdNiO3 membranes using a new synthesis approach and the examination of their electronic properties. The ability to transfer freestanding NdNiO3 membranes onto other templates opens the door to further access the interplay between structural rotations/distortions and spin/charge ordering in this material family, for instance, by applying external strains to an unprecedented level. This offers an exceptional opportunity to study the MIT in nickelate films and heterostructures in the two-dimensional limit without substrate constraint.

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Presenters

  • Danfeng Li

    Department of Applied Physics, Stanford University

Authors

  • Danfeng Li

    Department of Applied Physics, Stanford University

  • Seung Sae Hong

    Department of Applied Physics, Stanford Institute for Materials and Energy Sciences, Stanford University, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Applied Physics, Stanford University, Department of Applied Physics, Stanford University, Stanford Univeristy

  • Di Lu

    Department of Physics, Stanford Institute for Materials and Energy Sciences, Stanford University, Department of Physics, Stanford University, Stanford Univeristy, Geballe Laboratory for Advanced Materials, Stanford University

  • Yasuyuki Hikita

    Stanford Institute for Materials and Energy Sciences, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Stanford institute for materials energy sciences, SLAC National accelerator Laboratory

  • Harold Hwang

    Geballe Laboratory for Advanced Materials, Department of Applied Physics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States, Stanford Institute for Materials and Energy Science, Department of Applied Physics, Stanford University, Department of Applied Physics, Geballe Laboratory for Advanced Materials, Stanford Institute for Materials and Energy Sciences, Stanford University, SLAC National Accelerator, Applied Physics, Stanford University, Stanford Univ, Stanford University, Stanford Univeristy