Emergent and robust ferromagnetic-insulating state in highly strained ferroelastic LaCoO3 thin films
Abstract Transition metal oxides are promising candidates for the next generation of spintronic devices due to their fascinating properties that can be effectively engineered by strain, defects, and microstructure. An excellent example can be found in ferroelastic LaCoO3 with paramagnetism in bulk....
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2023-06-01
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| Series: | Nature Communications |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-39369-6 |
| _version_ | 1827916853800861696 |
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| author | Dong Li Hongguang Wang Kaifeng Li Bonan Zhu Kai Jiang Dirk Backes Larissa S. I. Veiga Jueli Shi Pinku Roy Ming Xiao Aiping Chen Quanxi Jia Tien-Lin Lee Sarnjeet S. Dhesi David O. Scanlon Judith L. MacManus-Driscoll Peter A. van Aken Kelvin H. L. Zhang Weiwei Li |
| author_facet | Dong Li Hongguang Wang Kaifeng Li Bonan Zhu Kai Jiang Dirk Backes Larissa S. I. Veiga Jueli Shi Pinku Roy Ming Xiao Aiping Chen Quanxi Jia Tien-Lin Lee Sarnjeet S. Dhesi David O. Scanlon Judith L. MacManus-Driscoll Peter A. van Aken Kelvin H. L. Zhang Weiwei Li |
| author_sort | Dong Li |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Transition metal oxides are promising candidates for the next generation of spintronic devices due to their fascinating properties that can be effectively engineered by strain, defects, and microstructure. An excellent example can be found in ferroelastic LaCoO3 with paramagnetism in bulk. In contrast, unexpected ferromagnetism is observed in tensile-strained LaCoO3 films, however, its origin remains controversial. Here we simultaneously reveal the formation of ordered oxygen vacancies and previously unreported long-range suppression of CoO6 octahedral rotations throughout LaCoO3 films. Supported by density functional theory calculations, we find that the strong modification of Co 3d-O 2p hybridization associated with the increase of both Co-O-Co bond angle and Co-O bond length weakens the crystal-field splitting and facilitates an ordered high-spin state of Co ions, inducing an emergent ferromagnetic-insulating state. Our work provides unique insights into underlying mechanisms driving the ferromagnetic-insulating state in tensile-strained ferroelastic LaCoO3 films while suggesting potential applications toward low-power spintronic devices. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-13T03:21:12Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-78d790c0d80f4a74b7aba944958b10bb |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2041-1723 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-13T03:21:12Z |
| publishDate | 2023-06-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nature Communications |
| spelling | doaj.art-78d790c0d80f4a74b7aba944958b10bb2023-06-25T11:20:53ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232023-06-011411910.1038/s41467-023-39369-6Emergent and robust ferromagnetic-insulating state in highly strained ferroelastic LaCoO3 thin filmsDong Li0Hongguang Wang1Kaifeng Li2Bonan Zhu3Kai Jiang4Dirk Backes5Larissa S. I. Veiga6Jueli Shi7Pinku Roy8Ming Xiao9Aiping Chen10Quanxi Jia11Tien-Lin Lee12Sarnjeet S. Dhesi13David O. Scanlon14Judith L. MacManus-Driscoll15Peter A. van Aken16Kelvin H. L. Zhang17Weiwei Li18College of Physics, MIIT Key Laboratory of Aerospace Information Materials and Physics, State Key Laboratory of Mechanics and Control for Aerospace Structures, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and AstronauticsMax Planck Institute for Solid State ResearchCollege of Physics, MIIT Key Laboratory of Aerospace Information Materials and Physics, State Key Laboratory of Mechanics and Control for Aerospace Structures, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and AstronauticsDepartment of Chemistry, University College LondonDepartment of Materials, East China Normal UniversityDiamond Light Source Ltd., Harwell Science and Innovation CampusDiamond Light Source Ltd., Harwell Science and Innovation CampusState Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen UniversityCenter for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT), Los Alamos National LaboratoryDepartment of Materials Science and Metallurgy, University of CambridgeCenter for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT), Los Alamos National LaboratoryDepartment of Materials Design and Innovation, University at Buffalo-The State University of New YorkDiamond Light Source Ltd., Harwell Science and Innovation CampusDiamond Light Source Ltd., Harwell Science and Innovation CampusDepartment of Chemistry, University College LondonDepartment of Materials Science and Metallurgy, University of CambridgeMax Planck Institute for Solid State ResearchState Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xiamen UniversityCollege of Physics, MIIT Key Laboratory of Aerospace Information Materials and Physics, State Key Laboratory of Mechanics and Control for Aerospace Structures, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and AstronauticsAbstract Transition metal oxides are promising candidates for the next generation of spintronic devices due to their fascinating properties that can be effectively engineered by strain, defects, and microstructure. An excellent example can be found in ferroelastic LaCoO3 with paramagnetism in bulk. In contrast, unexpected ferromagnetism is observed in tensile-strained LaCoO3 films, however, its origin remains controversial. Here we simultaneously reveal the formation of ordered oxygen vacancies and previously unreported long-range suppression of CoO6 octahedral rotations throughout LaCoO3 films. Supported by density functional theory calculations, we find that the strong modification of Co 3d-O 2p hybridization associated with the increase of both Co-O-Co bond angle and Co-O bond length weakens the crystal-field splitting and facilitates an ordered high-spin state of Co ions, inducing an emergent ferromagnetic-insulating state. Our work provides unique insights into underlying mechanisms driving the ferromagnetic-insulating state in tensile-strained ferroelastic LaCoO3 films while suggesting potential applications toward low-power spintronic devices.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-39369-6 |
| spellingShingle | Dong Li Hongguang Wang Kaifeng Li Bonan Zhu Kai Jiang Dirk Backes Larissa S. I. Veiga Jueli Shi Pinku Roy Ming Xiao Aiping Chen Quanxi Jia Tien-Lin Lee Sarnjeet S. Dhesi David O. Scanlon Judith L. MacManus-Driscoll Peter A. van Aken Kelvin H. L. Zhang Weiwei Li Emergent and robust ferromagnetic-insulating state in highly strained ferroelastic LaCoO3 thin films Nature Communications |
| title | Emergent and robust ferromagnetic-insulating state in highly strained ferroelastic LaCoO3 thin films |
| title_full | Emergent and robust ferromagnetic-insulating state in highly strained ferroelastic LaCoO3 thin films |
| title_fullStr | Emergent and robust ferromagnetic-insulating state in highly strained ferroelastic LaCoO3 thin films |
| title_full_unstemmed | Emergent and robust ferromagnetic-insulating state in highly strained ferroelastic LaCoO3 thin films |
| title_short | Emergent and robust ferromagnetic-insulating state in highly strained ferroelastic LaCoO3 thin films |
| title_sort | emergent and robust ferromagnetic insulating state in highly strained ferroelastic lacoo3 thin films |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-39369-6 |
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