Coherent epitaxy of trilayer nickelate (Nd0.8Sr0.2)4Ni3O10 films by high-pressure magnetron sputtering
Jiachang Bi,
Yujuan Pei,
Ruyi Zhang,
Shaoqin Peng,
Xinming Wang,
Jie Sun,
Jiagui Feng,
Jingkai Yang,
Yanwei Cao
Affiliations
Jiachang Bi
Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo, Zhejiang 315201, China
Yujuan Pei
School of Physics, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001, China
Ruyi Zhang
Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo, Zhejiang 315201, China
Shaoqin Peng
Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo, Zhejiang 315201, China
Xinming Wang
Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo, Zhejiang 315201, China
Jie Sun
Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo, Zhejiang 315201, China
Jiagui Feng
Suzhou Institute of Nano-Tech and Nano-Bionics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215123, China
Jingkai Yang
Key Laboratory of Applied Chemistry, Hebei Key Laboratory of Heavy Metal Deep-remediation in Water and Resource Reuse, College of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao 066004, China
Yanwei Cao
Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo, Zhejiang 315201, China
Rare-earth nickelates (such as perovskite RNiO3, trilayer R4Ni3O10, and infinite layer RNiO2) have attracted tremendous interest very recently. However, unlike the widely studied RNiO3 and RNiO2 films, the synthesis of trilayer nickelate R4Ni3O10 films is rarely reported. Here, single-crystalline (Nd0.8Sr0.2)4Ni3O10 epitaxial films were coherently grown on SrTiO3 substrates by high-pressure magnetron sputtering. The crystal and electronic structures of (Nd0.8Sr0.2)4Ni3O10 films with oxygen ligand holes were characterized by high-resolution x-ray diffraction, x-ray photoemission spectroscopy, and resonant soft x-ray absorption spectroscopy. The electrical transport measurements reveal a metal–insulator transition behavior near 82 K and negative magnetoresistance in (Nd0.8Sr0.2)4Ni3O10 films. Our work provides a novel route to synthesize high-quality trilayer nickelate R4Ni3O10 films with RNiO3 targets by high-pressure magnetron sputtering.
