Key role of lattice symmetry in the metal-insulator transition of NdNiO3 films

Abstract

Bulk NdNiO3 exhibits a metal-to-insulator transition (MIT) as the temperature is lowered that is also seen in tensile strained films. In contrast, films that are under a large compressive strain typically remain metallic at all temperatures. To clarify the microscopic origins of this behavior, we use position averaged convergent beam electron diffraction in scanning transmission electron microscopy to characterize strained NdNiO3 films both above and below the MIT temperature. We show that a symmetry lowering structural change takes place in case of the tensile strained film, which undergoes an MIT, but is absent in the compressively strained film. Using space group symmetry arguments, we show that these results support the bond length disproportionation model of the MIT in the rare-earth nickelates. Furthermore, the results provide insights into the non-Fermi liquid phase that is observed in films for which the MIT is absent.

arXiv commentAccepted for publication in Scientific Reports

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• Disentangling lattice and electronic contributions to the metal-insulator transition from bulk vs. layer confined RNiO${}_3$
• Antiferromagnetic metal phase in an electron-doped rare-earth nickelate
• Metal-insulator-metal transition in NdNiO3 films capped by CoFe2O4
• Tunable disorder and localization in the rare-earth nickelates
• Nucleation and growth bottleneck in the conductivity recovery dynamics of nickelate thin films
• Response of the lattice across the filling-controlled Mott metal-insulator transition of a rare earth titanate
• Continuous transition from weakly localized regime to strong localization regime in Nd_{0.7}La_{0.3}NiO_{3} films
• Disentangling transport mechanisms in a correlated oxide by photoinduced charge injection
• Observation of microscopic domain effects in the metal-insulator transition of thin-film NdNiO${}_3$
• Elastic stripes formation at electronic transitions