Direct observation of charge mediated lattice distortions in complex oxide solid solutions

Abstract

Material properties depend sensitively on picometer scale atomic displacements introduced by local chemical fluctuations. Direct real-space, high spatial-resolution measurements of this compositional variation and corresponding distortion can provide new insights into materials behavior at the atomic scale. Using aberration corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy combined with advanced imaging methods, we observed atom column specific, picometer-scale displacements induced by local chemistry in a complex oxide solid solution. Displacements predicted from density functional theory were found to correlate with the observed experimental trends. Further analysis of bonding and charge distribution were used to clarify the mechanisms responsible for the detected structural behavior. By extending the experimental electron microscopy measurements to previously inaccessible length scales, we identified correlated atomic displacements linked to bond differences within the complex oxide structure.

arXiv comment11 pages, 3 figures

References in corpus (5)

• Physics of thin-film ferroelectric oxides
• The Alloy Theoretic Automated Toolkit: A User Guide
• Multicomponent multisublattice alloys, nonconfigurational entropy and other additions to the Alloy Theoretic Automated Toolkit
• Electron-phonon coupling reflecting dynamic charge inhomogeneity in copper-oxide superconductors
• Lattice dynamics and correlated atomic motion from the atomic pair distribution function

Cited by in corpus (5)

• Order-Disorder Ferroelectric Transition of Strained SrTiO3
• Octahedral rotation patterns in strained EuFeO3 and other Pbnm perovskite films: Implications for hybrid improper ferroelectricity
• Ferroelectric-HfO2/Oxide Interfaces, Oxygen Distribution Effect and Implications for Device Performance
• Response of the lattice across the filling-controlled Mott metal-insulator transition of a rare earth titanate
• Preparation and magnetic properties of (Ln0.2La0.2Nd0.2Sm0.2 Eu0.2)MnO3 (Ln = Dy, Ho, Er) high-entropy perovskite ceramics containing heavy rare earth elements