Anisotropic character of the metal-to-metal transition in Pr4Ni${}_3$O${}_{10}$

Abstract

As a member of the Ruddlesden-Popper Ln${}_{n+1}$Ni${}_n$O${}_{3n+1}$ series rare-earth-nickelates, the Pr4Ni${}_3$O${}_{10}$ consists of infinite quasi-two-dimensional perovskite-like Ni-O based layers. Although a metal-to-metal phase transition at Tpt = 157 K has been revealed by previous studies, a comprehensive study of physical properties associated with this transition has not yet been performed. We have grown single crystals of Pr4Ni3O10 at high oxygen pressure, and report on the physical properties around that phase transition, such as heat-capacity, electric-transport and magnetization. We observe a distinctly anisotropic behavior between in-plane and out-of-plane properties: a metal-to-metal transition at Tpt within the a-b plane, and a metal-to-insulator-like transition along the c-axis with decreasing temperature. Moreover, an anisotropic and anomalous negative magneto-resistance is observed at Tpt that we attribute to a slight suppression of the first-order transition with magnetic field. The magnetic-susceptibility can be well described by a Curie-Weiss law, with different Curie-constants and Pauli-spin susceptibilities between the high-temperature and the low-temperature phases. The single crystal X-ray diffraction measurements show a shape variation of the different NiO6 octahedra from the high-temperature phase to the low-temperature phase. This subtle change of the environment of the Ni sites is likely responsible for the different physical properties at high and low temperatures.

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Cited by in corpus (18)

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• Intertwined density waves in a metallic nickelate
• Non-Fermi Liquid and Hund Correlation in La${}_4$Ni${}_3$O${}_{10}$ under High Pressure
• Signature of Superconductivity in Pressurized Trilayer-nickelate Pr${}_4$Ni${}_3$O${}_{10-\delta }$
• Review on quasi-2D square planar nickelates
• Short-range magnetic interactions and spin-glass behavior in the quasi-2D nickelate Pr4Ni3O8
• Structural and physical properties of trilayer nickelates $R_4$Ni${}_3$O${}_{10}$ ($R=$ La, Pr and Nd)
• High-pressure crystal growth and investigation of the metal-to-metal transition of Ruddlesden-Popper trilayer nickelates La${}_4$Ni${}_3$O${}_{10}$
• Contrasting physical properties of the trilayer nickelates Nd${}_4$Ni${}_3$O${}_{10}$ and Nd${}_4$Ni${}_3$O${}_8$
• Metal-to-metal transition and heavy-electron state in Nd${}_4$Ni${}_3$O${}_{10-\delta }$
• Correlation between the tolerance factor and phase transition in Ln4-xLnxNi3O10 (Ln and Ln' = La, Pr and Nd; x = 0, 1, 2 and 3)
• Phase formation in hole- and electron-doped rare-earth nickelate single crystals
• Landau theory of the density wave transition in trilayer Ruddlesden-Popper nickelates
• Coherent epitaxy of trilayer nickelate (Nd0.8Sr0.2)4Ni3O10 films by high-pressure magnetron sputtering
• Electronic layer decoupling driven by density-wave order in La${}_4$Ni${}_3$O${}_{10}$
• Expanding the trilayer Ruddlesden-Popper nickelate family: Synthesis and characterization of Sm${}_4$Ni${}_3$O${}_{10-\delta }$ single crystals
• Electron doping of the layered nickelate La${}_4$Ni${}_3$O${}_{10}$ by aluminum substitution: A combined experimental and DFT study