Oxygen-intercalated Ruddlesden-Popper nickelate: giant resistive switching and emergent multi-electronic phase...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Condensed Matter Physics
• Solid State Chemistry

Background:

• Rare-earth nickelates possess tunable multi-electronic phases, making them attractive for neuromorphic computing and sensors.
• Current modulation methods yield single electronic states, limiting the metal-insulator transition and device performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore a novel method for inducing multiple electronic states in rare-earth nickelates.
• To investigate the impact of oxygen intercalation on the electronic properties of (NdNiO3)n:NdO samples.

Main Methods:

• Oxygen annealing was employed to intercalate oxygen ions into Ruddlesden-Popper structures of (NdNiO3)n:NdO.
• Resistivity measurements were conducted at 250 K to quantify the modulation in electronic states.
• Theoretical analysis was performed to understand the underlying mechanisms of the observed electronic transitions.

Main Results:

• Oxygen intercalation successfully induced multiple electronic states in (NdNiO3)n:NdO samples.
• A seven-orders-of-magnitude modulation in resistivity was achieved at 250 K.
• Non-Fermi liquid behavior with a power-law exponent of 2.75 was observed, differing from perovskite NdNiO3.
• Theoretical analysis confirmed that intercalated oxygen ions drive a transition from an antiferromagnetic insulator to a ferromagnetic metal.

Conclusions:

• Oxygen intercalation is an effective strategy for achieving multi-electronic states in Ruddlesden-Popper nickelates.
• This approach significantly enhances resistivity modulation and offers distinct electronic properties compared to conventional methods.
• The findings provide insights into oxygen-ion dynamics, aiding the development of strongly correlated oxides for advanced electronics.