Electronic coupling of metal-to-insulator transitions in complex heterostructures

Transition metal perovskites constitute a family of materials that offers a vast range of engineerable properties due to the strong interplay between their spin, charge, orbital and structural degrees of freedom, making them an exciting playground for both fundamental studies and technological applications. 

Among these compounds, rare earth nickelates (chemical formula RENiO3) display a characteristic metal-to-insulator transition as a function of temperature, which can be tuned by means of many different parameters (such as strain, gate voltage and thickness). 

In this work, Lucia Varbaro in the group of Jean-Marc Triscone and co-workers report on the growth and characterization of new nickelate based superlattices including insulating LaAlO3 spacer layers. This study allowed the role of the electronic and structural order parameters, describing the metal-to-insulator transition, to be better understood in these complex heterostructures.

Read the article in Advanced Electronic Materials