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Raji A, Dong Z, Porée V, Subedi A, Li X, Mundet B, Varbaro L, Domínguez C, Hadjimichael M, Feng B, Nicolaou A, Rueff JP, Li D, Gloter A. Valence-Ordered Thin-Film Nickelate with Tri-component Nickel Coordination Prepared by Topochemical Reduction. ACS NANO 2024; 18:4077-4088. [PMID: 38271616 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.3c07614] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2024]
Abstract
The metal-hydride-based "topochemical reduction" process has produced several thermodynamically unstable phases across various transition metal oxide series with unusual crystal structures and nontrivial ground states. Here, by such an oxygen (de-)intercalation method we synthesis a samarium nickelate with ordered nickel valences associated with tri-component coordination configurations. This structure, with a formula of Sm9Ni9O22 as revealed by four-dimensional scanning transmission electron microscopy (4D-STEM), emerges from the intricate planes of {303}pc ordered apical oxygen vacancies. X-ray spectroscopy measurements and ab initio calculations show the coexistence of square planar, pyramidal, and octahedral Ni sites with mono-, bi-, and tri-valences. It leads to an intense orbital polarization, charge-ordering, and a ground state with a strong electron localization marked by the disappearance of ligand-hole configuration at low temperature. This nickelate compound provides another example of previously inaccessible materials enabled by topotactic transformations and presents an interesting platform where mixed Ni valence can give rise to exotic phenomena.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aravind Raji
- Laboratoire de Physique des Solides, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, Orsay 91400, France
- Synchrotron SOLEIL, L'Orme des Merisiers, BP 48 St. Aubin, Gif sur Yvette 91192, France
| | - Zhengang Dong
- Department of Physics, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong
- City University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Research Institute, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518057, China
| | - Victor Porée
- Synchrotron SOLEIL, L'Orme des Merisiers, BP 48 St. Aubin, Gif sur Yvette 91192, France
| | - Alaska Subedi
- CPHT, Ecole Polytechnique, Palaiseau Cedex 91128, France
| | - Xiaoyan Li
- Laboratoire de Physique des Solides, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, Orsay 91400, France
| | - Bernat Mundet
- Department of Quantum Matter Physics, University of Geneva, Geneva 1211, Switzerland
- Electron Spectrometry and Microscopy Laboratory (LSME), Institute of Physics (IPHYS), Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne 1015, Switzerland
| | - Lucia Varbaro
- Department of Quantum Matter Physics, University of Geneva, Geneva 1211, Switzerland
| | - Claribel Domínguez
- Department of Quantum Matter Physics, University of Geneva, Geneva 1211, Switzerland
| | - Marios Hadjimichael
- Department of Quantum Matter Physics, University of Geneva, Geneva 1211, Switzerland
| | - Bohan Feng
- Department of Physics, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong
- City University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Research Institute, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518057, China
| | - Alessandro Nicolaou
- Synchrotron SOLEIL, L'Orme des Merisiers, BP 48 St. Aubin, Gif sur Yvette 91192, France
| | - Jean-Pascal Rueff
- Synchrotron SOLEIL, L'Orme des Merisiers, BP 48 St. Aubin, Gif sur Yvette 91192, France
- LCPMR, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Paris 75005, France
| | - Danfeng Li
- Department of Physics, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong
- City University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Research Institute, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518057, China
| | - Alexandre Gloter
- Laboratoire de Physique des Solides, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, Orsay 91400, France
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Tyunina M, Savinov M, Pacherova O, Dejneka A. Small-polaron transport in perovskite nickelates. Sci Rep 2023; 13:12493. [PMID: 37528184 PMCID: PMC10394062 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-39821-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2023] [Accepted: 07/31/2023] [Indexed: 08/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Knowledge of the explicit mechanisms of charge transport is preeminent for a fundamental understanding of the metal-to-insulator transition in ABO3-type perovskite rare-earth nickelates and for potential applications of these technologically promising materials. Here we suggest that owing to intrinsic Jahn-Teller-driven carrier localization, small-polaron transport is innate in nickelates. We demonstrate experimental evidence for such transport by investigating AC conductivity over a broad range of temperatures and frequencies in epitaxial SmNiO3 films. We reveal the hopping mechanism of conductivity, Holstein-type activation energy for hopping, nonclassical relaxation behavior, and nonclassical consistency between activation and relaxation. By analyzing these observations, we validate small-polaron transport. We anticipate that our findings can lead to precise tailoring of the DC and AC conductivity in nickelates as requested for fruitful employment of these materials. We also believe that further investigations of self-trapped small polarons are essential for a comprehensive understanding of nickelates.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Tyunina
- Institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Na Slovance 2, 18220, Prague, Czech Republic.
- Microelectronics Research Unit, Faculty of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering, University of Oulu, P. O. Box 4500, Fl-90014, Oulu, Finland.
| | - M Savinov
- Institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Na Slovance 2, 18220, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - O Pacherova
- Institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Na Slovance 2, 18220, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - A Dejneka
- Institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Na Slovance 2, 18220, Prague, Czech Republic
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Matos R, Pala N. A Review of Phase-Change Materials and Their Potential for Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces. MICROMACHINES 2023; 14:1259. [PMID: 37374844 DOI: 10.3390/mi14061259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2023] [Revised: 06/11/2023] [Accepted: 06/13/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023]
Abstract
Phase-change materials (PCMs) and metal-insulator transition (MIT) materials have the unique feature of changing their material phase through external excitations such as conductive heating, optical stimulation, or the application of electric or magnetic fields, which, in turn, results in changes to their electrical and optical properties. This feature can find applications in many fields, particularly in reconfigurable electrical and optical structures. Among these applications, the reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) has emerged as a promising platform for both wireless RF applications as well as optical ones. This paper reviews the current, state-of-the-art PCMs within the context of RIS, their material properties, their performance metrics, some applications found in the literature, and how they can impact the future of RIS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Randy Matos
- Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33174, USA
| | - Nezih Pala
- Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33174, USA
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Tang X, Luo Z, Cui Y. Band Gaps and Optical Properties of RENiO 3 upon Strain: Combining First-Principles Calculations and Machine Learning. MATERIALS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 16:3070. [PMID: 37109905 PMCID: PMC10140892 DOI: 10.3390/ma16083070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2023] [Revised: 04/11/2023] [Accepted: 04/11/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Rare earth nickel-based perovskite oxides (RENiO3) have been widely studied over recent decades because of their unique properties. In the synthesis of RENiO3 thin films, a lattice mismatch frequently exists between the substrates and the thin films, which may affect the optical properties of RENiO3. In this paper, the first-principles calculations were employed to study the electronic and optical properties of RENiO3 under strain. The results showed that with the increase in tensile strength, the band gap generally shows a widening trend. For optical properties, the absorption coefficients increase with the enhancement of photon energies in the far-infrared range. The compressive strain increases the light absorption, while the tensile strain suppresses it. For the reflectivity spectrum in the far-infrared range, a minimum reflectivity displays around the photon energy of 0.3 eV. The tensile strain enhances the reflectivity in the range of 0.05-0.3 eV, whereas it decreases it when the photon energies are larger than 0.3 eV. Furthermore, machine learning algorithms were applied and found that the planar epitaxial strain, electronegativity, volume of supercells, and rare earth element ion radius play key roles in the band gaps. Photon energy, electronegativity, band gap, the ionic radius of the rare earth element, and the tolerance factor are key parameters significantly influencing the optical properties.
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Asanuma S. Synthesis of rhombohedral LaCuO 3 thin films using the oxidation effect of NaClO solution. Dalton Trans 2022; 51:2531-2537. [PMID: 35060987 DOI: 10.1039/d1dt03984a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
LaCuO3 is one of the most fundamental cuprate perovskite blocks and has a similar structure to the cuprate high-temperature superconductor. Therefore, some consider that a study on LaCuO3 is one of the clues to clarify the mechanism of cuprate high-temperature superconductivity. However, since the synthesis of bulk LaCuO3 is difficult due to the need for the high-pressure and high-temperature (HPHT) method, not enough research on LaCuO3 has been done so far. In this paper, I report the successful synthesis of rhombohedral LaCuO3 thin films using the oxidation effect of NaClO solution without using the HPHT method. The nanobeam electron diffraction pattern of the cross-section of LaCuO3-δ thin film oxidized in NaClO solution at 80 °C for 72 hours demonstrates the formation of rhombohedral LaCuO3. The amount of oxygen defects in the rhombohedral LaCuO3 thin films has not been measured directly because it is difficult to do so. However, considering the relationship between the amount of oxygen defects and the symmetry of bulk LaCuO3-δ, these rhombohedral LaCuO3 thin films are considered to be very close to the stoichiometric composition. The temperature dependence of the resistance of the thin films indicates that rhombohedral LaCuO3 is an insulator. Considering the previous studies on the first-principles calculation of stoichiometric LaCuO3 and this study, the rhombohedral LaCuO3 close to the stoichiometric composition is presumed to be a Mott insulator.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shutaro Asanuma
- National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8568, Japan.
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Yoo P, Liao P. First principles study on hydrogen doping induced metal-to-insulator transition in rare earth nickelates RNiO 3 (R = Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Yb). Phys Chem Chem Phys 2020; 22:6888-6895. [PMID: 32181456 DOI: 10.1039/c9cp06522a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Rare earth nickelates (RNiO3), consisting of a series of correlated transition metal oxides, have received increasing attention due to their sharp metal-to-insulator transition (MIT). Previous reports focused on understanding the origin and modulation of thermally driven MIT by strain effects, cation doping, or external electric field. Recently, it was reported that isothermal chemical doping of hydrogen can induce MIT and increase resistivity by ∼8 orders of magnitude, which opens up the possibility of utilizing these oxides to develop advanced electronic and sensing devices. In this study, we applied first principles methods to study geometric and electronic structures of MIT driven by hydrogen doping in a series of rare earth nickelates RNiO3 (R = Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Yb). Hybrid functional HSE06 calculations predict that all oxides under study exhibit sharp MIT, opening up an ∼3 eV band gap after hydrogen doping, with band gap values slightly increasing from Pr to Yb. We find that the R site elements play a key role in determining hydrogen adsorption energies and hydrogen migration barriers, which controls how difficult it would be for the hydrogen atoms to migrate inside the oxides. Detailed information on geometries, electronic structures, migration barriers and adsorption energies of hydrogen provides guidance for further optimizing these materials for future experiments and applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pilsun Yoo
- School of Materials Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47906, USA.
| | - Peilin Liao
- School of Materials Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47906, USA.
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Lai CY, Zhu JX. Ultrafast X-Ray Absorption Spectroscopy of Strongly Correlated Systems: Core Hole Effect. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2019; 122:207401. [PMID: 31172773 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.122.207401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2018] [Revised: 04/25/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
In recent years, ultrafast pump-probe spectroscopy has provided insightful information about the nonequilibrium dynamics of excitations in materials. In a typical experiment of time-resolved x-ray absorption spectroscopy, the systems are excited by a femtosecond laser pulse (pump pulse) followed by an x-ray probe pulse after a time delay to measure the absorption spectra of the photoexcited systems. We present a theory for nonequilibrium x-ray absorption spectroscopy in one-dimensional strongly correlated systems. The core hole created by the x ray is modeled as an additional effective potential of the core hole site, which changes the spectrum qualitatively. In equilibrium, the spectrum reveals the charge gap at half-filling and the metal-insulator transition in the presence of the core hole effect. Furthermore, a pump-probe scheme is introduced to drive the system out of equilibrium before the x-ray probe. The effects of the pump pulse with varying frequencies, shapes, and fluences are discussed for the dynamics of strongly correlated systems in and out of resonance. The spectrum indicates that the driven insulating state has a metallic droplet around the core hole. The rich structures of the nonequilibrium x-ray absorption spectrum give more insight into the dynamics of electronic structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chen-Yen Lai
- Theoretical Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545, USA and Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545, USA
| | - Jian-Xin Zhu
- Theoretical Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545, USA and Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545, USA
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Abstract
Solid-state ion shuttles are of broad interest in electrochemical devices, nonvolatile memory, neuromorphic computing, and biomimicry utilizing synthetic membranes. Traditional design approaches are primarily based on substitutional doping of dissimilar valent cations in a solid lattice, which has inherent limits on dopant concentration and thereby ionic conductivity. Here, we demonstrate perovskite nickelates as Li-ion shuttles with simultaneous suppression of electronic transport via Mott transition. Electrochemically lithiated SmNiO3 (Li-SNO) contains a large amount of mobile Li+ located in interstitial sites of the perovskite approaching one dopant ion per unit cell. A significant lattice expansion associated with interstitial doping allows for fast Li+ conduction with reduced activation energy. We further present a generalization of this approach with results on other rare-earth perovskite nickelates as well as dopants such as Na+ The results highlight the potential of quantum materials and emergent physics in design of ion conductors.
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