Applying configurational complexity to the 2D Ruddlesden-Popper crystal structure
Wenrui Zhang, Alessandro R. Mazza, Elizabeth Skoropata, Debangshu Mukherjee, Brianna L. Musico, Jie Zhang, Veerle Keppens, Lihua Zhang, Kim Kisslinger, Eli Stav… 展开作者
Wenrui Zhang, Alessandro R. Mazza, Elizabeth Skoropata, Debangshu Mukherjee, Brianna L. Musico, Jie Zhang, Veerle Keppens, Lihua Zhang, Kim Kisslinger, Eli Stavitski, Mathew Brahlek, John W. Freeland, Ping Lu, Thomas Z. Ward
The 2D layered Ruddlesden-Popper crystal structure can host a broad range of functionally important behaviors. Here we establish extraordinary configurational disorder in a two dimensional layered Ruddlesden-Popper (RP) structure using entropy stabilization assisted synthesis. A protype A2CuO4 RP cuprate oxide with five components (La, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu) on the A-site sublattice is designed and fabricated into epitaxial single crystal films using pulsed laser deposition. By comparing (La0.2Pr0.2Nd0.2Sm0.2Eu0.2)2CuO4 crystals grown under identical conditions but different substrates, it is found that heteroepitaxial strain plays an important role in crystal phase formation. When grown on a near lattice matched substrate, the high entropy oxide film features a T'-type RP structure with uniform A-site cation mixing and square-planar CuO4 units, however, growing under strong compressive strain results in a single crystal non-RP cubic phase consistent with a CuX2O4 spinel structure. These observations are made with a range of combined characterizations using X-ray diffraction, atomic-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and X-ray absorption spectroscopy measurements. Designing configurational complexity and moving between 2D layered RP and 3D cubic crystal structures in this class of cuprate materials opens many opportunities for new design strategies related to magnetoresistance, unconventional superconductivity, ferroelectricity, catalysis, and ion transport.
Scanning transmission electron microscopy in combination with electron energy-loss spectroscopy is used to study LaNiO3/LaAlO3 superlattices grown on (La,Sr)AlO4 with varying single-layer thicknesses which are known to control their electronic properties. The microstructure of the films is investigated on the atomic level and the role of observed defects is discussed in the context of the different properties. Two types of Ruddlesden-Popper faults are found which are either two or three dimensional. The common planar Ruddlesden-Popper fault is induced by steps on the substrate surface. In cont…
We analyze the electronic structure of the recently synthesized higher-order nickelate Ruddlesden-Popper phases La$_{n+1}$Ni$_n$O$_{3n+1}$ ($n=4-6$) using first-principles calculations. For all materials, our results show large holelike Fermi surfaces with $d_{x^2-y^2}$ character that closely resemble those of optimally hole-doped cuprates. For higher values of $n$, extra non-cuprate-like bands of $d_{z^2}$ orbital character appear. These aspects highlight that this Ruddlesden-Popper series can provide a means to modify the electronic ground states of nickelates by tuning their dimensionality.…
We report the synthesis and room temperature crystal structures of the heretofore unknown, metastable manganites La2-2xSr1+2xMn2O7+delta (0.5 < x < 0.9) via high-temperature (T=1650 C) quenching followed by low-temperature (T=400 C) annealing to fill oxygen vacancies; this approach enables access to the electronic, magnetic, and structural properties of previously unexplored compositions in this important CMR system.
A series of Ruddlesden-Popper nickelates, Nd$_{n+1}$Ni$_{n}$O$_{3n+1}$ (${n}$ = 1-5), have been stabilized in thin film form using reactive molecular-beam epitaxy. High crystalline quality has been verified by X-ray diffraction and scanning transmission electron microscopy. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy indicates the ${n}$-dependent valence states of nickel in these compounds. Metal-insulator transitions show clear ${n}$ dependence for intermediate members (${n}$ = 3-5), and the low-temperature resistivities of which show logarithmic dependence, resembling the Kondo-scattering as observed i…
A "corkscrew" mechanism, that couples changes in the in-plane rotation angle to strains along the layering axis, has been proposed previously to explain increased compliance in certain Ruddlesden-Popper phases that facilitates uniaxial negative thermal expansion over a wide temperature range. Following the procedure developed to study many simple, auxetic geometries, in the present study we derive the elastic compliances predicted by this corkscrew mechanism assuming that the four shortest metal-anion bonds remain stiff and changes in bond angle are modelled by a harmonic angle potential. We s…
Li2SrNb2O7 (LSNO) crystallizes in a structure closely related to n = 2 Ruddlesden-Popper-type compounds, which is gen-erally formed by intergrowth of 2-dimensional perovskite-type blocks and rocksalt-type layers. The present study demonstrates a coexistence of spontaneous polarization and anti-ferroelectric-like nonlinear response in LSNO at 80 K, suggesting a weak ferroelectricity below the phase transition temperature of 217 K. A combination of first-principles cal-culations and single crystal x-ray diffractions clarifies a polar P21cn structure for the ground state of LSNO, where an in-plan…
With the use of lattice dynamics calculation within hybrid HSE06 framework we were able to understand vibrational spectra of MAgF3 M = K, Rb, Cs compounds. Comparative theoretical study uncovered lack of monotonicity in calculated optical phonons associated with Ag F stretching modes which can be explained through an interplay of Lewis acidity of MI cation and its size. We confirm the tetragonal unit cells of MAgF3 M=Rb, Cs at room temperature. We also theoretically predict an orthorhombic RbAgF3 polymorph as a ground state at low temperature. However, we were not able to detect it by the mean…
We present the first systematic {\em ab initio} study of anti-ferrodistortive (AFD) order in Ruddlesden-Popper (RP) phases of strontium titanate, Sr$_{1+n}$Ti$_n$O$_{3n+1}$, as a function of both compressive epitaxial strain and phase number $n$. We find all RP phases to exhibit AFD order under a significant range of strains, recovering the bulk AFD order as $\sim 1/n^2$. A Ginzburg-Landau Hamiltonian generalized to include inter-octahedral interactions reproduces our {\em ab initio} results well, opening a pathway to understanding other nanostructured perovskite systems.
We investigate the variation of the band gap across the Ruddlesden-Popper (RP) series (An+1BnX3n+1) in model chalcogenide, oxide, and halide materials to understand the factors influencing band gap evolution. In contrast to the oxides and halides, we find the band gap of the chalcogenides evolve differently with the thickness of the perovskite blocks in these natural superlattices. We show that octahedral rotations (i.e. deviation of the B-X-B bond angles from 180) and quantum confinement effects compete to decide the band gap evolution of RP phases. The insights gained here will allow us to r…
2D Ruddlesden Popper perovskites have been extensively studied for their exceptional optical and electronic characteristics while only a few studies have shed light on their mechanical properties. The existing literature mainly discusses the mechanical strength of single crystal perovskites, however a systematic study towards structure tunability of 2D perovskite thin films is still missing. In this study, we report the effect of number of inorganic layers `n' on elastic modulus of Butylammonium based 2D, quasi-2D perovskites and 3D perovskite using nanoindentation technique. The experimental …
We have discovered from first-principles an unusual polar state in the low n Sr$_{n+1}$Ti$_n$O$_{3n+1}$ Ruddlesden-Popper (RP) layered perovskites in which ferroelectricity is nearly degenerate with antiferroelectricity, a relatively rare form of ferroic order. We show that epitaxial strain plays a key role in tuning the "perpendicular coherence length" of the ferroelectric mode, and does not induce ferroelectricity in these low dimensional RP materials as is well known to occur in SrTiO$_3$. These systems present an opportunity to manipulate the coherence length of a ferroic distortion in a c…
Oxynitrides with the perovskite structure are promising candidates for photocatalysis under visible light due to their appropriate optical and electronic properties. Recently, layered perovskites have attracted attention for their improved performance with respect to the bulk perovskites in photocatalytic water splitting. In this paper, we investigate the structural and electronic properties of the layered Ruddlesden-Popper oxynitride Sr$_2$TaO$_3$N and its (001) surfaces using density functional theory (DFT) calculations. We find that the energetically favoured configuration of the bulk has a…
The rare-earth nickelates possess a diverse set of collective phenomena including metal-to-insulator transitions, magnetic phase transitions, and, upon chemical reduction, superconductivity. Here, we demonstrate epitaxial stabilization of layered nickelates in the Ruddlesden-Popper form, Nd$_{n+1}$Ni$_n$O$_{3n+1}$, using molecular beam epitaxy. By optimizing the stoichiometry of the parent perovskite NdNiO$_3$, we can reproducibly synthesize the $n = 1 - 5$ member compounds. X-ray absorption spectroscopy at the O $K$ and Ni $L$ edges indicate systematic changes in both the nickel-oxygen hybrid…
We study the correlated electronic structure of single-layer iridates based on structurally-undistorted Ba$_2$IrO$_4$. Starting from the first-principles band structure, the interplay between local Coulomb interactions and spin-orbit coupling is investigated by means of rotational-invariant slave-boson mean-field theory. The evolution from a three-band description towards an anisotropic one-band ($J=1/2$) picture is traced. Single-site and cluster self-energies are used to shed light on competing Slater- and Mott-dominated correlation regimes. We reveal a clear asymmetry between electron and h…
We explore the frequency-dependent relative permittivity of Ruddlesden-Popper series Sr(n+1)Ti(n)O(3n+1) (n =1,2,3) thin films as a function of temperature and dc electric field. Interdigitated capacitors and coplanar waveguides were used to extract the frequency response from 500 Hz to 40 GHz. At room temperature, the in-plane relative permittivities obtained for Sr(n+1)Ti(n)O(3n+1) (n =1,2,3) were 42+/-3, 54+/-3, and 77+/-2, respectively, and were independent of frequency. At low temperatures, permittivity increases and electric field tunability develops in Sr(4)Ti(3)O(10).
The temperature-dependent phase transitions in Ruddlesden-Popper oxides with perovskite bilayers have been under increased scrutiny in recent years due to the so-called hybrid improper ferroelectricity that some chemical compositions exhibit. However, little is currently understood about the hydrostatic pressure dependence of these phase transitions. Herein we present the results of a high-pressure powder synchrotron X-ray diffraction experiment and $ab~initio$ calculations on the bilayered Ruddlesden-Popper phases Ca$_{3}$Mn$_{2}$O$_{7}$ and Ca$_{3}$Ti$_{2}$O$_{7}$. In both compounds we obser…
Magnetotransport properties of the compound Ca4Mn3O10 are interpreted in terms of activated hopping of small magnetic polarons in the non-adiabatic regime. Polarons are most likely formed around Mn3+ sites created by oxygen substoichiometry. The application of an external field reduces the size of the magnetic contribution to the hopping barrier and thus produces an increase in the conductivity .We argue that the change in the effective activation energy around TN is due to the crossover to VRH conduction as antiferromagnetic order sets in.
Ruddlesden-Popper (RP) oxides (A$_{n+1}$B$_n$O$_{3n+1}$) comprised of perovskite (ABO$_3$)$_n$ slabs can host a wider variety of structural distortions than their perovskite counterparts. This makes accurate structural determination of RP oxides more challenging. In this study, we investigate the structural phase diagram of $n=1$ RP Sr$_2$SnO$_4$, one of alkaline earth stannates that are promising for opto-electronic applications by using group theory-based symmetry analysis and first-principles calculations. We explore the symmetry breaking effects of different dynamical instabilities, predic…
In this work, the high entropy oxide A2CuO4 Ruddlesden-Popper (La0.2Pr0.2Nd0.2Sm0.2Eu0.2)2CuO4 is explored by charge doping with Ce+4 and Sr+2 at concentrations known to induce superconductivity in the simple parent compounds, Nd2CuO4 and La2CuO4. Electron doped (La0.185Pr0.185Nd0.185Sm0.185Eu0.185Ce0.075)2CuO4 and hole doped (La0.18Pr0.18Nd0.18Sm0.18Eu0.18Sr0.1)2CuO4 are synthesized and shown to be single crystal, epitaxially strained, and highly uniform. Transport measurements demonstrate that all as-grown films are insulating regardless of doping. Annealing studies show that resistivity can…
The number of absorption and Raman optical modes for each Wyckoff orbit in the high-temperature tetragonal (I4/mmm) parent lattice of the Ruddlesden-Popper compounds Ca$_3$X$_2$O$_7$, with X=Mn or X=Ti is given. We analyze the effect of sequential perturbations which lower the symmetry to Cmcm and Cmc2$_1$ and finally include magnetic ordering. We determine the power law behavior (within mean field theory) for the cross section for photon absorption and Raman scattering of modes which appear as the symmetry is successively lowered. In the Cmc2$_1$ phase we give a symmetry analysis to discuss t…
The magnetic and magnetotransport properties of the Sr3Fe2-xCoxO7-d system (0.2 <= x <= 1.0) were systematically investigated. This oxide system exhibits a giant magnetoresistance (GMR) effect at low temperatures, reaching up to 80% in 7 T at 5 K. Ac-susceptibility measurements show that there exists a strong competition between ferromagnetic (F) and spin glass states, and the balance between these two magnetic states can be controlled by varying cobalt (x) and/or oxygen contents (d). Importantly, the MR effect is closely related to the magnetic property: the development of magnetic disorderin…
Combining ferroelectricity with other properties such as visible light absorption or long-range magnetic order requires the discovery of new families of ferroelectric materials. Here, through the analysis of a high-throughput database of phonon band structures, we identify a new structural family of anti-Ruddlesden-Popper phases A$_4$X$_2$O (A=Ca, Sr, Ba, Eu, X=Sb, P, As, Bi) showing ferroelectric and anti-ferroelectric behaviors. The discovered ferroelectrics belong to the new class of hyperferroelectrics which polarize even under open-circuit boundary conditions. The polar distortion involve…
Exchange bias (EB) as large as ~5.5 kOe is observed in SrLaCo0.5Mn0.5O4 which is the highest ever found in any layered transition metal oxides including Ruddlesden-Popper series. Neutron diffraction measurement rules out long-range magnetic ordering and together with dc magnetic measurements suggest formation of short-range magnetic domains. AC magnetic susceptibility, magnetic memory effect and magnetic training effect confirm the system to be a cluster spin glass. By carrying out density functional calculations on several model configurations, we propose that EB is originated at the boundary…
The Ruddlesden-Popper ($A_{n+1}B_{n}\text{O}_{3n+1}$) compounds are a highly tunable class of materials whose functional properties can be dramatically impacted by their structural phase $n$. The negligible energetic differences associated with forming a sample with a single value of $n$ versus a mixture of $n$ makes the growth of these materials difficult to control and can lead to local atomic-scale structural variation arising from small stoichiometric deviations. In this work, we present a Python analysis platform to detect, measure, and quantify the presence of different $n$-phases based …
Ruddelsden-Popper halide perovskites are highly versatile quasi-two-dimensional energy materials with a wide range of tunable optoelectronic properties. Here we use the all-inorganic Cs$_{n+1}$Pb$_n$X$_{3n+1}$ Ruddelsden-Popper perovskites with X=I, Br, and Cl to systematically model the effect of octahedral tilting distortions on the energy landscape, band gaps, macroscopic polarization, and the emergence of Rashba-/Dresselhaus splitting in these materials. We construct all unique $n=1$ and $n=2$ structures following from octahedral tilts and use first-principles density functional theory to …
Stability of oxygen point defects in Ruddlesden-Popper oxides (La$_{1-x}$Sr$_{x}$)$_{2}$MO$_{4{\pm}δ}$ (M = Co, Ni, Cu) is studied with density functional theory calculations to determine their stable sites, charge states, and energetics as functions of Sr content ($x$), transition metal (M) and defect concentration (δ). We demonstrate that the dominant O point defects can change between oxide interstitials, peroxide interstitials, and vacancies. Generally, increasing $x$ and atomic number of M stabilizes peroxide over oxide interstitials, as well as vacancies over both peroxide and oxide inte…
Perovskite chalcogenides are gaining substantial interest as an emerging class of semiconductors for optoelectronic applications. High quality samples are of vital importance to examine their inherent physical properties. We report the successful crystal growth of the model system, BaZrS$_3$ and its Ruddlesden-Popper phase Ba$_3$Zr$_2$S$_7$ by flux method. X-ray diffraction analyses showed space group of $Pnma$ with lattice constants of $a$ = 7.056(3) Å\/, $b$ = 9.962(4) Å\/, $c$ = 6.996(3) Å\/ for BaZrS$_3$ and $P4_2/mnm$ with $a$ = 7.071(2) Å\/, $b$ = 7.071(2) Å\/, $c$ = 25.418(5) Å\/ for Ba…
We perform a symmetry analysis of the zero-temperature instabilities of the tetragonal phase of Ca3Mn2O7 and Ca3Ti2O7 which is stable at high temperature. We introduce order parameters to characterize each of the possible lattice distortions in order to construct a Landau free energy which elucidates the proposed group-subgroup relations for structural transitions in these systems. We include the coupling between the unstable distortion modes and the macroscopic strain tensor. We also analyze the symmetry of the dominantly antiferromagnetic ordering which allows weak ferromagnetism. We show th…
The electronic orbital characteristics at the band edges plays an important role in determining the electrical, optical and defect properties of perovskite photovoltaic materials. It is highly desirable to establish the relationship between the underlying atomic orbitals and the optoelectronic properties as a guide to maximize the photovoltaic performance. Here, using first-principles calculations and taking anion ordered Ruddlesden-Popper (RP) phase halide perovskites Cs$_{n+1}$Ge$_n$I$_{n+1}$Cl$_{2n}$ as an example, we demonstrate how to rationally optimize the optoelectronic properties (e.g…
Itinerant Nature of Spin-Density-Wave Order in Ruddlesden-Popper Nickelates
Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics and Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences（中国科学院物理研究所）；School of Physical Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences（中国科学院大学物理科学学院）
The local epitaxial growth of pulsed laser deposited Ca$_2$MnO$_4$ films on polycrystalline spark plasma sintered Sr$_2$TiO$_4$ substrates was investigated to determine phase formation and preferred epitaxial orientation relationships ($ORs$) for isostructural Ruddlesden-Popper (RP) heteroepitaxy, further developing the high-throughput synthetic approach called Combinatorial Substrate Epitaxy (CSE). Both grazing incidence X-ray diffraction and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) patterns of the film and substrate were indexable as single-phase RP-structured compounds. The optimal growth te…
We perform density functional theory plus dynamical mean field theory calculations to investi- gate internal charge transfer in an artificial superlattice composed of alternating layers of vanadate and manganite perovskite and Ruddlesden-Popper structure materials. We show that the elec- tronegativity difference between vanadium and manganese causes moderate charge transfer from VO2 to MnO2 layers in both perovskite and Ruddlesden-Popper based superlattices, leading to hole doping of the VO2 layer and electron doping of the MnO2 layer. Comparison of the perovskite and Ruddlesden-Popper based h…
The homogeneous photoluminescence spectral linewidth in semiconductors carries a wealth of information on the coupling of primary photoexcitations with their dynamic environment as well as between multi-particles. In the limit in which inhomogeneous broadening dominates the total optical linewidths, the inhomogeneous and homogeneous contributions can be rigorously separated by temperature-dependent %linear spectral measurements such as steady-state photoluminescence spectroscopy. This is possible because the only temperature-dependent phenomenon is optical dephasing, which defines the homogene…
This work presents the most detailed and extensive theoretical study to date of the structural configurations of Ruddlesden-Popper (RP) phases in antiferrodistortive (AFD) perovskites and formulates a program of study which can be pursued for RP phases of any AFD perovskite system. We systematically investigate the effects of oxygen octahedral rotations on the energies of RP phases in AFD perovskites (A_n+1 B_n O_3n+1) for n = 1...30, providing asymptotic results for n --> infinity that give both the form of the interaction between stacking faults and the behavior of such stacking faults in is…
Biexcitons in Ruddlesden-Popper Metal Halides Probed by Nonlinear Coherent Spectroscopy
Department of Physics and Center for Functional Materials, Wake Forest University（维克森林大学物理系与功能材料中心）；Institut Courtois, Université de Montréal（蒙特利尔大学库尔托瓦研究所）
Transition metal perovskite chalcogenides (TMPCs) are explored as stable, environmentally friendly semiconductors for solar energy conversion. They can be viewed as the inorganic alternatives to hybrid halide perovskites, and chalcogenide counterparts of perovskite oxides with desirable optoelectronic properties in the visible and infrared part of the electromagnetic spectrum. Past theoretical studies have predicted large absorption coefficient, desirable defect characteristics, and bulk photovoltaic effect in TMPCs. Despite recent progresses in polycrystalline synthesis and measurements of th…
Electronic structures across superconductor-insulator transition in Ruddlesden-Popper bilayer nickelate films
University of Science and Technology of China（中国科学技术大学）；Hefei National Laboratory, University of Science and Technology of China（合肥国家实验室，中国科学技术大学）；Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China（微观尺度物理科学合肥国家研究中心，中国科学技术大学）；Southern University of Science and Technology（南方科技大学）；Quantum Science Center of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area（粤港澳大湾区量子科学中心）；Nanjing University（南京大学）；Shanghai Jiao Tong University（上海交通大学）；Tsinghua University（清华大学）
The observation of low energy edge photoluminescence and its beneficial effect on the solar cell efficiency of Ruddlesden-Popper perovskites has unleashed an intensive research effort to reveal its origin. This effort, however, has been met with more challenges as the underlying material structure has still not been identified; new modellings and observations also do not seem to converge. Using 2D (BA)2(MA)2Pb3Br10 as an example, we show that 3D MAPbBr3 is formed due to the loss of BA on the edge. This self-formed MAPbBr3 can explain the reported edge emission under various conditions, while t…
