Nature Communications (Nov 2017)
Structurally triggered metal-insulator transition in rare-earth nickelates
Abstract
Applications of rare-earth nickelates are hampered by lack of global understanding of the interplay among various degrees of freedom. Here, Mercy et al. propose that the metal-insulator transition of nickelates arises from the softening of an oxygen breathing distortion, providing a united picture of electronic, structural and magnetic properties.