From hidden metal-insulator transition to Planckian-like dissipation by tuning the oxygen content in a nickelate

Abstract Heavily oxygen-deficient NdNiO3 (NNO) films, which are insulating due to electron localization, contain pristine regions that undergo a hidden metal-insulator transition. Increasing oxygen content increases the connectivity of the metallic regions and the metal-insulator transition is first revealed, upon reaching the percolation threshold, by the presence of hysteresis. Only upon further oxygenation is the global metallic state (with a change in the resistivity slope) eventually achieved. It is shown that sufficient oxygenation leads to linear temperature dependence of resistivity in the metallic state, with a scattering rate directly proportional to temperature. Despite the known difficulties to establish the proportionality constant, the experiments are consistent with a relationship 1/τ = α k B T/ℏ, with α not far from unity. These results could provide experimental support for recent theoretical predictions of disorder in a two-fluid model as a possible origin of Planckian dissipation

Piezoelectric properties of PZT by an ethylene glycol-based chemical solution synthesis

We have investigated a water-stable sol–gel method based on ethylene glycol as a solvent and bridging ligand for the synthesis of ferroelectric lead zirconate titanate in bulk and thin film forms. This method offers lower toxicity of the solvent, higher stability toward atmospheric moisture and a simplified synthetic procedure compared to traditional sol–gel methods. However, the piezoelectric properties of products produced using this method have yet to be systematically studied. We have measured the ferroelectric and piezoelectric properties and compared them to existing literature using different synthesis techniques. Ceramic pellets of Nb-doped lead zirconate titanate (PNZT) in the tetragonal phase were produced with high density and good piezoelectric properties, comparable to those reported in the literature and those found in commercial piezoelectric elements. In addition, a nine-layer thin film stack was fabricated by spin coating onto platinized silicon substrates. The films were crack-free and showed a perovskite grain structure with a weak (111) orientation. Piezoelectric measurements of the film showed a piezoelectric coefficient comparable to literature values and good stability toward fatigue

Progress and perspective on polymer templating of multifunctional oxide nanostructures

Metal oxides are of much interest in a large number of applications, ranging from microelectronics to catalysis, for which reducing the dimensions to the nanoscale is demanded. For many of these applications, the nano-materials need to be arranged in an orderly fashion on a substrate. A typical approach is patterning thin films using lithography, but in the case of functional oxides, this is restricted to sizes down to about 100 nm due to the structural damage caused at the boundaries of the material during processing having a strong impact on the properties. In addition, for applications in which multifunctional or hybrid materials are requested, as in the case of multiferroic composites, standard top-down methods are inadequate. Here, we evaluate different approaches suitable to obtain large areas of ordered nano-sized structures and nanocomposites, with a particular focus on the literature of multiferroic nanocomposites, and we highlight the polymer-templating method as a promising low-cost alternative. (C) 2020 Author(s)

Conduction through 71 degrees DomainWalls in BiFeO3 Thin Films

Local conduction at domains and domains walls is investigated in BiFeO3 thin films containing mostly 71o domain walls. Measurements at room temperature reveal conduction through 71o domain walls. Conduction through domains could also be observed at high enough temperatures. It is found that, despite the lower conductivity of the domains, both are governed by the same mechanisms: in the low voltage regime electrons trapped at defect states are temperature-activated but the current is limited by the ferroelectric surface charges; in the large voltage regime, Schottky emission takes place and the role of oxygen vacancies is that of selectively increasing the Fermi energy at the walls and locally reducing the Schottky barrier. This understanding provides the key to engineering conduction paths in oxides.Comment: RevTeX, four two-column pages, 5 color figure

Plausible Physical Mechanisms for Unusual Volatile/Non-Volatile Resistive Switching in HfO2-Based Stacks

Memristive devices made of silicon compatible simple oxides are of great interest for storage and logic devices in future adaptable electronics and non-digital computing applications. A series of highly desirable properties observed in an atomic-layer-deposited hafnia-based stack, triggered our interest to investigate their suitability for technological implementations. In this paper, we report our attempts to reproduce the observed behaviour within the framework of a proposed underlying mechanism. The inability of achieving the electrical response of the original batch indicates that a key aspect in those devices has remained undetected. By comparing newly made devices with the original ones, we gather some clues on the plausible alternative mechanisms that could give rise to comparable electrical behaviours