Metal-to-insulator transitions in 3d-band correlated oxides containing Fe compositions

Metal-to-insulator transitions (MITs),which are achieved in 3d-band correlated transitional metal oxides,trigger abrupt variations in electrical,optical,and/or magnetic properties beyond those of conventional semiconductors.Among such material families,iron(Fe:3d^(6)4s^(2))-containing oxides pique interest owing to their widely tunable MIT properties,which are associated with the various valence states of Fe.Their potential electronic applications also show promise,given the large abundance of Fe on Earth.Representative MIT properties triggered by critical temperature (TMIT) were reported for ReFe_(2)O_(4)(Fe^(2.5+)),ReBaFe_(2)O_(5)(Fe^(2.5+)),Fe_(3)O_(4)(Fe^(2.67+)),Re_(1/3)Sr_(2/3)FeO_(3)(Fe^(3.67+)),Re Cu_(3)Fe_(4)O_(12)(Fe^(3.75+)),and Ca_(1-x)Sr_(x)FeO_(3)(Fe^(4+))(where Re represents rare-earth elements).The common feature of MITs of these Fe-containing oxides is that they are usually accompanied by charge ordering transitions or disproportionation associated with the valence states of Fe.Herein,we review the material family of Fe-containing MIT oxides,their MIT functionalities,and their respective mechanisms.From the perspective of potentially correlated electronic applications,the tunability of the TMITand its resultant resistive change in Fe-containing oxides are summarized and further compared with those of other materials exhibiting MIT functionality.In particular,we highlight the abrupt MIT and wide tunability of TMITof Fe-containing quadruple perovskites,such as Re Cu3Fe4O12.However,their effective material synthesis still needs to be further explored to cater to potential applications.

Metal-organic decomposition growth of thin film metastable perovskite nickelates with kinetically improved quantum transitions

The multiple quantum transitions within d-band correlation oxides such as rare-earth nickelates(RENiO_(3))triggered by critical temperatures and/or hydrogenation opened up a new paradigm for correlated electronics applications,e.g.ocean electric field sensor,bio-sensor,and neuron synapse logical devices.Nevertheless,these applications are obstructed by the present ineffectiveness in the thin film growth of the metastable RENiO_(3)with flexibly adjustable rare-earth compositions and electronic structures.Herein,we demonstrate a metal-organic decompositions(MOD)approach that can effectively grow metastable RENiO_(3)covering a large variety of the rare-earth composition without introducing any vacuum process.Unlike the previous chemical growths for RENiO_(3)relying on strict interfacial coherency that limit the film thickness,the MOD growth using reactive isooctanoate percussors is tolerant to lattice defects and therefore achieves comparable film thickness to vacuum depositions.Further indicated by positron annihilation spectroscopy,the RENiO_(3)grown by MOD exhibit large amount of lattice defects that improves their hydrogen incorporation amount and electron transfers,as demonstrated by the resonant nuclear reaction analysis and near edge X-ray absorption fine structure analysis.This effectively enlarges the magnitude in the resistance regulations in particular for RENiO_(3)with lighter RE,shedding a light on the extrinsic regulation of the hydrogen induced quantum transitions for correlated oxides semiconductors kinetically via defect engineering.

Correlated perovskite nickelates with valence variable rare-earth compositions

While the metal to insulator transition(MIT)of d-band correlated perovskite nickelates(RENiO_(3))are widely adjustable via their rare-earth composition,the roles of potential valence variabilities associated with the rare-earth elements were rarely concerned.Herein,we demonstrate the material synthesis and MIT properties of RENiO_(3) containing valence variable rare-earth compositions,such as Ce,Pr,Sm,Eu and Tb.The metastable perovskite structure of SmNiO_(3) and EuNiO_(3) with a rare-earth valence states variable towards+2 can be effectively synthesized under high oxygen pressures as it is necessary to reduce their formation free energies.This is in contrast to Ce and Tb,in which situations the variable rare-earth valence state towards+4 reduces their ionic radius and prohibits their occupation or co-occupation of the rare-earth site within the perovskite structured RENiO_(3).Nevertheless,PrNiO_(3) with MIT properties can be effectively synthesized at lower oxygen pressures,owing to the higher stability to form a fully occupied 6s orbit associated Pr3+compared to the half-filled one related to Pr4+.The present work provides guidance for regulating the MIT properties of RENiO_(3).

Frequency regulation in alternation-current transports across metal to insulator transitions of thin film correlated perovskite nickelates

Although the metal to insulator transition(MIT)observed in d-band correlated metal oxides enables promising applications(e.g.,correlated logical devices and Mottronic devices),its present recognition is mainly limited on the direct current(DC)electrical transports.Up to date,the MIT from the perspective of alternation current(AC)transport and its potential electronic applications remains yet unclear.Herein,we demonstrate the frequency(f_(AC))dependence in the impedance(Z=Z’+iZ″)of typical MIT materials,such as thin film rare-earth nickelates(Re NiO_(3)),across the critical MIT temperature(T_(MIT)).Apart from the abrupt change in the impedance modulus(|Z|)across the critical temperature(T_(MIT))similar to the DC transport,the MIT also triggers non-continuous variation in the impedance phase(θ),and this enables the f_(AC)-regulations in the Z’-T tendencies(Z’=|Z|cosθ).At the critical f_(AC) range(e.g.,104-106 Hz),the con-versing variations in|Z|-T and cosθ-T across T_(MIT) result in non-monotonic delta-shape Z’-T tendency in Sm_(x) Nd_(1-x) NiO_(3),the full width half maximum of which is effectively narrowed compared to the situation with the absence of MIT.Further imparting lower or higher f_(AC) elevate the domination in|Z|-T and cosθ-T,respectively,but also enables abrupt Z’-T tendencies across T_(MIT) showing negative temperature coefficient of resistance(NTCR)or positive temperature coefficient of resistance(PTCR).By introducing f_(AC) as a new freedom,the MIT behavior can be more comprehensively regulated electronically,and this extends the vision in exploring the new electronic applications based on the correlated MIT materials from the AC perspective.

Temperature-sensing array using the metal-to-insulator transition of Nd_(x)Sm_(1-x)NiO_(3)

Rare-earth nickelates(RENiO_(3))show widely tunable metal-to-insulator transition(MIT)properties with ignorable variations in lattice constants and small latent heat across the critical temperature(TMIT).Particularly,it is worth noting that compared with the more commonly investigated vanadium oxides,the MIT of RENiO_(3)is less abrupt but usually across a wider range of temperatures.This sheds light on their alternative applications as negative temperature coefficient resistance(NTCR)thermistors with high sensitivity compared with the current NTCR thermistors,other than their expected use as critical temperature resistance thermistors.In this work,we demonstrate the NTCR thermistor functionality for using the adjustable MIT of Nd_(x)Sm_(1-x)NiO_(3)within 200–400 K,which displays larger magnitudes of NTCR(e.g.,more than 7%/K)that is unattainable in traditional NTCR thermistor materials.The temperature dependence of resistance(R–T)shows sharp variation during the MIT of Nd_(x)Sm_(1-x)NiO_(3)with no hysteresis via decreasing the Nd content(e.g.,x≤0.8),and such a R–T tendency can be linearized by introducing an optimum parallel resistor.The sensitive range of temperature can be further extended to 210–360 K by combining a series of Nd_(x)Sm_(1-x)NiO_(3)with eight rare-earth co-occupation ratios as an array,with a high magnitude of NTCR(e.g.,7%–14%/K)covering the entire range of temperatures.

Photocatalytic and electrochemical degradation of methylene blue by titanium dioxide

A photoanode structure for dye-sensitized solar cells has been applied into the photocatalytic/electrochemical cooperative degradation of methylene blue solutions.The low eutectic point of titanium dioxide(TiO2)with a fluorine-doped tin dioxide(FTO)conductive layer results in a high reactivity of TiO2for the photocatalytic process as well as a good electron transfer for the electrochemical process.The porous TiO2layer maintains a large surface area for the degradations.Through the combinational process,the degradation velocity was improved by*36%,compared to a pure photocatalytic process.

Lithium incorporation enhanced resistive switching behaviors in lithium lanthanum titanium oxide-based heterostructure

Resistive switching devices with a high self-rectifying ratio are important for achieving the crossbar memristor array that overcomes the sneak current issue.Herein,we demonstrate a single amorphous lithium lanthanum titanium oxide(LLTO)layer based Pt/LLTO/Pt device possessing a self-rectifying ratio higher than 1 × 10^(4) that is comparable to the reported devices with complicated multi-layer stacking structures.Moreover,the device shows forming-free and highly uniform bipolar resistive switching(BRS)characteristic that facilitates the potential applications.The trap-controlled and trap-free space charge limited conductions are demonstrated to dominate the high and low resistance states of the device,respectively.The fast migration of lithium ions under external voltage accelerates the electron injection across the Pt/LLTO interface and also the space charge accumulation in the LLTO layer,and as a result,the high performance of the Pt/LLTO/Pt device was achieved.As demonstrated Pt/LLTO/Pt device sheds a light on the potential applications of the lithium ionic conductors in self-rectifying resistive switching devices.

Electronic and magnetic stability in correlated transportations of rare-earth nickelate perovskites

Although the thermistor and metal to insulator transition bi-functionalities were discovered for rareearth nickelates(RENiO3),the electronic stability in their correlated transports under impulse voltage or magnetic field remain as open questions.Herein,we demonstrate the thermistor transportations of the electron correlated rare-earth nickelates under impulse direct current voltage and in magnetic environment.The insulating phase of RENiO3 shows zero crossing linear I-V characters,indicating their stable electronic resistance is independent of the imparted voltage up to 10 V and pulse width down to1 us,in spite of their sensitive electronic structures to polarizations.In addition,the high electronic stability associated with the thermistor transportation of RENiO3 is also demonstrated in magnetic fields up to 9 T(i.e.,MR<0.2%).The high electronic stability further paves the way to applying RENiO3 as a broad temperature range thermistor in temperature sensing or circuit protections for correlated electronics.