The fundamental properties of infinite-layer rare-earth nickelates (RNiO2) are carefully revisited and compared with those of CaCuO2 and RNiO3 perovskites. Combining first-principles and finite-temperature second-principles calculations, we highlight that bulk NdNiO2 compound are far from equivalent to CaCuO2, together at the structural, electronic, and magnetic levels. Structurally, it is shown to be prone to spin-phonon coupling induced oxygen square rotation motion, which might be responsible for the intriguing upturn of the resistivity. At the electronic and magnetic levels, we point out orbital-selective Mott localization with strong out-of-plane band dispersion, which should result in the isotropic upper critical fields and weakly three-dimensional magnetic interactions with in-plane local moment and out-of-plane itinerant moment. We further demonstrate that as in RNiO3 perovskites, oxygen rotation motion and rare-earth ion controlled electronic and magnetic properties can give rise in RNiO2 compounds to a rich phase diagram and high tunability of various appealing properties. In line with that, we reveal that key ingredients of high-Tc superconductor such as orbital polarization, Fermi surface, and antiferromagnetic interactions can be deliberately controlled in NdNiO2 through epitaxial strain. Exploiting strain-orbital engineering, a crossover from three- to two-dimensional magnetic transition can be established, making then NdNiO2 thin film a true analog of high-Tc cuprates.
Rare-earth nickelates RNiO$_2$ adopting an infinite-layer phase show superconductivity once La, Pr or Nd are substituted by a divalent cation. Either in the pristine or doped form, these materials are reported to adopt a high symmetry, perfectly symmetric, P4/mmm tetragonal cell. Nevertheless, bulk compounds are scarce, hindering a full understanding of the role of chemical pressure or strain on lattice distortions that in turn could alter magnetic and electronic properties of the 2D nickelates. Here, by performing a full analysis of the prototypical YNiO$_2$ compound with first-principles sim…
The series of nickel-oxide compounds LaNiO$_3$ (formal Ni$(d^7)$), La$_2$NiO$_4$ (formal Ni$(d^8)$) and LaNiO$_2$ (formal Ni$(d^9)$) is investigated by first-principles many-body, using a combination of density functional theory, self-interaction correction and dynamical mean-field theory. The characteristics of these different nickelates, in good agreement with available experimental data, is revealed by employing a compound-independent choice for the local Coulomb interactions. The dichotomy within the low-energy dominant Ni-$e_g$ sector of $\{d_{z^2},d_{x^2-y^2}\}$ kind is rising with growi…
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…
Motivated by the recent discovery of superconductivity in infinite-layer nickelate thin films, we report on a synthesis and magnetization study on bulk samples of the parent compounds ${R}$NiO$_{2}$ (${R}$=La, Pr, Nd). The frequency-dependent peaks of the AC magnetic susceptibility, along with remarkable memory effects, characterize spin-glass states. Furthermore, various phenomenological parameters via different spin glass models show strong similarity within these three compounds as well as with other rare-earth metal nickelates. The universal spin-glass behaviour distinguishes the nickelate…
Rare-earth nickelates form an intriguing series of correlated perovskite oxides. Apart from LaNiO3, they exhibit on cooling a sharp metal-insulator electronic phase transition, a concurrent structural phase transition and a magnetic phase transition toward an unusual antiferromagnetic spin order. Appealing for various applications, full exploitation of these compounds is still hampered by the lack of global understanding of the interplay between their electronic, structural and magnetic properties. Here, we show from first-principles calculations that the metal-insulator transition of nickelat…
A variety of nickel oxide compounds have long been studied for their manifestation of various correlated electron phenomena. Recently, superconductivity was observed in nanoscale infinite layer nickelate thin films of Nd$_{0.8}$Sr$_{0.2}$NiO$_2$, epitaxially stabilized on SrTiO$_3$ substrates via topotactic reduction from the perovskite precursor phase. Here we present the synthesis and properties of PrNiO$_2$ thin films on SrTiO$_3$. Upon doping in Pr$_{0.8}$Sr$_{0.2}$NiO$_2$, we observe superconductivity with a transition temperature of 7-12 K, and robust critical current density at 2 K of 3…
The discovery of superconductivity in hole-doped infinite layer nickelates, RNiO2 (R = Nd, Pr, La) has garnered sustained interest in the field. A definitive picture of low-energy many-body states has not yet emerged. We provide new insights into the low-energy physics, based on our embedded dynamical mean-field theory calculations, and propose a correlation (U)-temperature (T) phase diagram. The key features are a low-T Fermi liquid (FL) phase, a high-T Curie-Weiss regime, and an antiferromagnetic phase in a narrow U-T region. We associate the onset of the FL phase with partial screening of N…
The status of nickelate superconductors in relation to cuprate high temperature superconductors is one of the concepts being discussed in high temperature superconductivity in correlated transition metal oxides. New additions to the class of infinite layer nickelates can provide essential input relating to connections or distinctions. A recently synthesized compound \bnoas, which contains isolated `infinite layer' NiO$_2$ planes, may lead to new insights. Our investigations have discovered that, at density functional theory mean field level, the ground state consists of an unusual $e_g$ single…
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 report the phase diagram of infinite layer Pr$_{1-x}$Sr$_{x}$NiO$_2$ thin films synthesized via topotactic reduction from the perovskite precursor phase using CaH$_2$. Based on the electrical transport properties, we find a doping-dependent superconducting dome extending between $x$ = 0.12 and 0.28, with a maximum superconducting transition temperature $T_{\rm{c}}$ of 14 K at $x$ = 0.18, bounded by weakly insulating behavior on both sides. In contrast to the narrower dome observed in Nd$_{1-x}$Sr$_{x}$NiO$_2$, a local $T_{\rm{c}}$ suppression near $x$ = 0.2 was not observed for the Pr$_{1-x…
The recent discovery of a zero-resistance state in nickel-based compounds has generated a re-excitement about the long-standing problem in condensed matter of high-critical-temperature superconductivity, in light of the analogies between infinite-layer nickelates and cuprates. However, despite some formal valence and crystal symmetry analogies, the electronic properties of infinite-layer nickelates are remarkably original accounting, among other properties, of a unique Nd5d-Ni3d hybridization. This designates infinite-layer nickelates as a new class of oxide superconductors which should be con…
Superconducting phase diagram of multi-layer square-planar nickelates
Harvard University（哈佛大学）；John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University（哈佛大学生物工程与应用科学学院）；Cornell University（康奈尔大学）；Arizona State University（亚利桑那州立大学）；Diamond Light Source（钻石光源）；Brookhaven National Laboratory（布鲁克海文国家实验室）；Argonne National Laboratory（阿贡国家实验室）；Max Planck Institute for Chemical Physics of Solids（马克斯·普朗克固体化学物理研究所）
Layer-resolved Electronic Structure and Correlation of Low-$n$ Square-planar Nickelates: A DFT+DMFT Prediction of Superconducting Candidates
School of Physics and Key Laboratory of Quantum State Construction and Manipulation (Ministry of Education), Renmin University of China（中国人民大学物理学院和量子态构建与操控教育部重点实验室）；Hefei National Laboratory（合肥国家实验室）
We study theoretically the fluoro-nickelate series $A$NiF$_2$ ($A=$ Li, Na, K, Rb, Cs) in the tetragonal $P4/mmm$ infinite-layer structure. We use density functional theory to determine the structural parameters and the electronic band structure of these unprecedented compounds. Thus, we predict these materials as model $d^9$ systems where the Ni$^{1+}$ oxidation is realized and the low-energy physics is completely determined by the Ni-3$d$ bands only. Fluoro-nickelates of this class thus offer an ideal platform for the study of intriguing physics that emerges out of the special $d^9$ electron…
Recent experiments have shown that the reduced multilayer rare-earth (RE) nickel oxides of form RE$_{p+1}$Ni$_p$O$_{2p+2}$ may belong to the novel family of superconducting lanthanide nickelates. Here, the correlated electronic structure of Pr$_{4}$Ni$_3$O$_{8}$ and Nd$_{6}$Ni$_5$O$_{12}$ is studied by means of an advanced realistic many-body framework. It is revealed that the low-energy physics of both systems is dominated by an interplay of Ni-$d_{x^2-y^2}$ and Ni-$d_{z^2}$ degrees of freedom. Whilst the Ni-$d_{x^2-y^2}$ orbitals are always highly correlated near an (orbital-selective) Mott-…
We present a theory describing the local electronic properties of the perovskite rare earth nickelates--materials which have negative charge transfer energies, strong O $2p$ -- Ni $3d$ covalence, and breathing mode lattice distortions at the origin of highly studied metal-insulator and antiferromagnetic ordering transitions. Utilizing a full orbital, full correlation double cluster approach, we find strong charge fluctuations in agreement with a bond disproportionation interpretation. The unique double cluster formulation permits the inclusion of necessary orbital degeneracies and Coulomb inte…
Motivated by recent core-level x-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS), x-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS) experiments for the newly-discovered superconducting infinite-layer nickelate, we investigate the core-level spectra of the parent compounds NdNiO$_2$ and LaNiO$_2$ using the combination of local density approximation and dynamical mean-field theory (LDA+DMFT). Adjusting a charge-transfer energy to match the experimental spectra, we determine the optimal model parameters and discuss the nature of the NdNiO$_2$ ground state. We find that self-…
We report the crystal structures and physical properties of trilayer nickelates Nd$_4$Ni$_3$O$_{10}$ and Nd$_4$Ni$_3$O$_8$. Measurements of magnetization and electrical resistivity display contrasting behaviors in the two compounds. Nd$_4$Ni$_3$O$_{10}$ shows a paramagnetic metallic behavior with a metal to metal phase transition($T^{\ast}$) at about 162 K, as revealed by both magnetic susceptibility and resistivity. Further magnetoresistance and Hall coefficient results show a negative magnetoresistance at low temperatures and the carrier type of Nd$_4$Ni$_3$O$_{10}$ is dominated by hole-type…
Motivated by the recent discovery of superconductivity in the Sr-doped layered nickelate NdNiO$_2$, we perform a systematic computational materials design of layered nickelates that are dynamically stable and whose electronic structure better mimics the electronic structure of high-$T_c$ cuprates than NdNiO$_2$. While the Ni $3d$ orbitals are self-doped from the $d^9$ configuration in NdNiO$_2$ and the Nd-layer states form Fermi pockets, we find more than 10 promising compounds for which the self-doping is almost or even completely suppressed. We derive effective single-band models for those m…
Evolution of terahertz third harmonic response across rare-earth nickelate phase-diagram
Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf（德累斯顿罗森多夫赫尔姆霍兹中心）；Institute of Solid State and Materials Physics, TUD Dresden University of Technology（德累斯顿工业大学固相与材料物理研究所）；Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Science Education Research Bhopal（博帕尔印度科学教育与研究大学物理系）；Institut für Theoretische Physik, Technische Universität Dresden（德累斯顿工业大学理论物理研究所）
The layered square-planar nickelates, Nd$_{n+1}$Ni$_{n}$O$_{2n+2}$, are an appealing system to tune the electronic properties of square-planar nickelates via dimensionality; indeed, superconductivity was recently observed in Nd$_{6}$Ni$_{5}$O$_{12}$ thin films. Here, we investigate the role of epitaxial strain in the competing requirements for the synthesis of the $n=3$ Ruddlesden-Popper compound, Nd$_{4}$Ni$_{3}$O$_{10}$, and subsequent reduction to the square-planar phase, Nd$_{4}$Ni$_{3}$O$_{8}$. We synthesize our highest quality Nd$_{4}$Ni$_{3}$O$_{10}$ films under compressive strain on La…
The recent discovery of superconductivity in infinite-layer nickelate films has aroused great interest since it provides a new platform to explore the mechanism of high-temperature superconductivity. However, superconductivity only appears in the thin film form and synthesizing superconducting nickelate films is extremely challenging, limiting the in-depth studies on this compound. Here, we explore the critical parameters in the growth of high quality nickelate films using molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). We found that stoichiometry is crucial in optimizing the crystalline structure and realizing…
Motivated by the recent discovery of superconductivity in doped NdNiO$_2$, we study the magnetic exchange interaction $J$ in layered $d^9$ nickelates from first principles. The mother compounds of the high-$T_{\rm c}$ cuprates belong to the charge-transfer regime in the Zaanen-Sawatzky-Allen diagram and have $J$ larger than 100 meV. While this feature makes the cuprates very different from other transition metal oxides, it is of great interest whether layered $d^9$ nickelates can also have such a large $J$. However, one complexity is that NdNiO$_2$ is not a Mott insulator due to carrier doping…
The recent discovery of superconductivity in hole-doped planar nickelates R1-xSrNiO2 (R=Pr,Nd) raises the foundational question of how the electronic structure and electronic correlations of these Ni1+ compounds compare to those of the Cu2+ cuprate superconductors. Here, we present an Angle-Resolved Photoemission Spectroscopy (ARPES) study of the trilayer nickelate Pr4Ni3O8, revealing an electronic structure and Fermi surface very similar to that of the hole-doped cuprates but with a few critical differences. Specifically, the main portions of the Fermi surface are extremely similar to that of…
Ab initio calculations predict a metal-insulator transition at zero temperature to occur in La$_4$Ni$_3$O$_8$ at moderate pressures as a result of a pressure-induced spin-state transition. The spin-state transition that is seen at 105 K at ambient pressure from a low-temperature high-spin state to a high-temperature low-spin state has been observed to be shifted to lower temperatures as pressure is applied. From our calculations we find that a smaller unit cell volume favors the metallic low-spin state, which becomes more stable at 5 GPa. Similar physics should take place in the related compou…
The recent observation of superconductivity in Nd$_{0.8}$Sr$_{0.2}$NiO$_{2}$ calls for further investigation and optimization of the synthesis of this metastable infinite-layer nickelate structure. Here, we present our current understanding of important aspects of the growth of the parent perovskite compound via pulsed laser deposition on SrTiO$_{3}$ (001) substrates, and the subsequent topotactic reduction. We find that to achieve single-crystalline, single-phase superconducting Nd$_{0.8}$Sr$_{0.2}$NiO$_{2}$, it is essential that the precursor perovskite Nd$_{0.8}$Sr$_{0.2}$NiO$_{3}$ thin fil…
This article summarizes recent work on the many-body (beyond density functional theory) electronic structure of layered rare-earth nickelates, both in the context of the materials themselves and in comparison to the high-temperature superconducting (high-$T_c$) layered copper-oxide compounds. It aims to outline the current state of our understanding of layered nickelates and to show how the analysis of these fascinating materials can shed light on fundamental questions in modern electronic structure theory. A prime focus is determining how the interacting physics defined over a wide energy ran…
Since the discovery of high-temperature superconductivity in the copper oxide materials, there have been sustained efforts to both understand the origins of this phase and discover new cuprate-like superconducting materials. One prime materials platform has been the rare-earth nickelates and indeed superconductivity was recently discovered in the doped compound Nd$_{0.8}$Sr$_{0.2}$NiO$_2$. Undoped NdNiO$_2$ belongs to a series of layered square-planar nickelates with chemical formula Nd$_{n+1}$Ni$_n$O$_{2n+2}$ and is known as the 'infinite-layer' ($n = \infty$) nickelate. Here, we report the s…
The correlated electronic structure of the infinite-layer compounds NdNiO$_2$ and SrCuO$_2$ at stoichiometry and with finite hole doping is compared. Key differences are elucidated from an advanced first-principles many-body perspective. Contrary to the charge-transfer insulating cuprate, the self-doped nickelate remains non-insulating even for large interaction strength, though the Ni-$d_{x^2-y^2}$ spectral weight is also gapped in that limit. Hybridization between Ni$(3d)$ and Nd$(5d)$ is crucial for the appearance of the self-doping band. Upon realistic hole doping, Sr$_{1-y}$CuO$_2$ shows …
Rare-earth nickelates R$^{3+}$Ni$^{3+}$O$_3$ (R=Lu-Pr, Y) show a striking metal-insulator transition in their bulk phase whose temperature can be tuned by the rare-earth radius. These compounds are also the parent phases of the newly identified infinite layer RNiO2 superconductors. Although intensive theoretical works have been devoted to understand the origin of the metal-insulator transition in the bulk, there have only been a few studies on the role of hole and electron doping by rare-earth substitutions in RNiO$_3$ materials. Using first-principles calculations based on density functional …
After the significant discovery of the hole-doped nickelate compound Nd$_{0.8}$Sr$_{0.2}$NiO$_2$, an analysis of the electronic structure, orbital components, Fermi surfaces and band topology could be helpful to understand the mechanism of its superconductivity. Based on the first-principles calculations, we find that Ni $3d_{x^2-y^2}$ states contribute the largest Fermi surface. $Ln~5d_{3z^2-r^2}$ states form an electron pocket at $Γ$, while $5d_{xy}$ states form a relatively bigger electron pocket at A. These Fermi surfaces and symmetry characteristics can be reproduced by our two-band model…
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）
After the reward of more than two decades of pursuit on the high-Tc cuprate analog with the hope to obtain a better understanding of the mechanism of high-Tc superconductivity, the discovery of superconductivity in the infinite-layer nickelate brings more mystery to the picture than expected. Tops in the list of questions are perhaps (1) absence of superconductivity in the bulk nickelate and limited thickness of the infinite-layer phase in thin film, (2) absence of superconductivity in the La-nickelate despite it being the earliest studied rare-earth nickelate, and the role of 4f orbital in th…
High-field-stabilized reentrant superconductivity in infinite-layer nickelate thin films
National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Los Alamos National Laboratory（洛斯阿拉莫斯国家实验室高磁场实验室）；Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, National University of Singapore（新加坡国立大学理学院物理系）；Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies, Los Alamos National Laboratory（洛斯阿拉莫斯国家实验室集成纳米技术中心）；Department of Physics, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universitas Airlangga（艾尔朗加大学理学院物理系）；Singapore Synchrotron Light Source (SSLS), National University of Singapore（新加坡国立大学新加坡同步辐射光源）；Department of Physics, The Chinese University of Hong Kong（香港中文大学物理系）
An extensive low temperature magnetisation study of high quality single crystals of the Kagome staircase compounds Ni3V2O8 and Co3V2O8 has been performed, and the H-T phase diagrams have been determined from these measurements. The magnetisation and susceptibility curves for Co3V2O8 are analysed in terms of their compatibility with the different ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic structures proposed for this compound. For Ni3V2O8, the phase diagram is extended to magnetic fields higher than previously reported; for a field applied along the a-axis, the low temperature incommensurate phase is …
Dynamical mean field theory calculations are used to show that for late transition-metal-oxides a critical variable for the Mott/charge-transfer transition is the number of d-electrons, which is determined by charge transfer from oxygen ions. Insulating behavior is found only for a narrow range of d-occupancy, irrespective of the size of the intra-d Coulomb repulsion. The result is useful in interpreting 'density functional +U' and 'density functional plus dynamical mean field' methods in which additional correlations are applied to a specific set of orbitals and an important role is played by…
High temperature cuprate superconductivity remains a defining problem in condensed matter physics. Among myriad approaches to addressing this problem has been the study of alternative transition metal oxides with similar structures and 3d electron count that are suggested as proxies for cuprate physics. None of these analogs has been superconducting, and few are even metallic. Here, we report that the low-valent, quasi-two-dimensional trilayer compound, Pr4Ni3O8 avoids a charge-stripe ordered phase previously reported for La4Ni3O8, leading to a metallic ground state. By combining x-ray absorpt…
In strongly correlated materials, lattice, charge, spin and orbital degrees of freedom interact with each other, leading to emergent physical properties such as superconductivity, colossal magnetic resistance and metal-insulator transition. Quasi-2D square planar nickelates, Rn+1NinO2n+2 (R=rare earth, n=2, 3...), are of significant interest and long sought for cuprate analogue due to the 3d9 electronic configuration of Ni+, the same as the active ion Cu2+ in the high-Tc superconducting cuprates. The field has attracted intense attention since 2019 due to the discovery of superconductivity in …
We report the observation of superconductivity in infinite-layer Ca-doped LaNiO$_2$ (La$_{1-x}$Ca$_x$NiO$_2$) thin films and construct their phase diagram. Unlike the metal-insulator transition in Nd- and Pr-based nickelates, the undoped and underdoped La1-xCaxNiO2 thin films are entirely insulating from 300 K down to 2 K. A superconducting dome is observed at 0.15<x<0.3 with weakly insulating behavior at the overdoped regime. Moreover, the sign of the Hall coefficient $R_H$ changes at low temperature for samples with a higher doping level. However, distinct from the Nd- and Pr-based nickelate…
Pourbaix diagrams have long been an essential tool for determining the phase stability of solids and their associated ionic species under electrochemical conditions. In recent years, Pourbaix diagrams have been used for applications ranging from corrosion-resistance alloy design to electrocatalysis, and the data from which they are generated has been enhanced by the availability of materials data in various online databases. However, generation of multi-element Pourbaix diagrams has a critical bottleneck which makes 3-element systems difficult to analyze quickly, and 4 and 5 element systems in…
Bulk superconductivity in quintuple-layer square-planar nickelate La6Ni5O12
University of Science and Technology of China（中国科学技术大学）；Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, Nanjing University（南京大学先进微结构协同创新中心）
