We demonstrate a novel approach to the structural and electronic property modification of perovskites, focusing on Pr2CuO4, an undoped parent compound of a class of electron-doped copper-oxide superconductors. Currents were passed parallel or perpendicular to the copper-oxygen layers with the voltage ramped up until a rapid drop in the resistivity was achieved, a process referred to as "flash". The current was then further increased tenfold in current-control mode. This state was quenched by immersion into liquid nitrogen. Flash can drive many compounds into different atomic structures with new properties, whereas the quench freezes them into a long-lived state. Single-crystal neutron diffraction of as-grown and modified Pr2CuO4 revealed a 10x10 superlattice due to oxygen-vacancy order. The diffraction peak intensities of the superlattice of the modified sample were significantly enhanced relative to the pristine sample. Raman-active phonons in the modified sample were considerably sharper. Measurements of electrical resistivity, magnetization and two-magnon Raman scattering indicate that the modification affected only the Pr-O layers, but not the Cu-O planes. These results point to enhanced oxygen-vacancy order in the modified samples well beyond what can be achieved without passing electrical current. Our work opens a new avenue toward electric field/quench control of structure and properties of layered perovskite oxides.
@article{arxiv.2302.04385,
title = {Structural changes induced by electric currents in a single crystal of Pr$_2$CuO$_4$},
author = {Susmita Roy and Feng Ye and Zachary Morgan and Syed I. A. Jalali and Yu Zhang and Gang Cao and Nobu-Hisa Kaneko and Martin Greven and Rishi Raj and Dmitry Reznik},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2302.04385},
year = {2023}
}