Related papers: Dynamic nanoscale spatial heterogeneity in a perov…
Sophisticated thin film growth techniques increasingly rely on the addition of a plasma component to open or widen a processing window, particularly at low temperatures. However, the addition of the plasma into the growth environment also…
The junction magnetoresistivity and domain phase transition were studied between ZnO and La0.4Gd0.1Sr0.5CoO3 thin films grown on LaAlO3 (100) substrates epitaxially by pulse laser deposit. The ferromagnetic transformation into…
Nanoscale ferroelectric topologies such as vortices, anti-vortices, bubble patterns etc. are stabilized in thin films by a delicate balance of both mechanical and electrical boundary conditions. A systematic understanding of the phase…
The rich phase diagram of bulk Pr$_{1-x}$Ca$_{x}$MnO$_3$ resulting in a high tunability of physical properties gave rise to various studies related to fundamental research as well as prospective applications of the material. Importantly, as…
Atomic force microscopy was used to investigate ferroelectric switching and nanoscale domain dynamics in epitaxial PbZr0.2Ti0.8O3 thin films. Measurements of the writing time dependence of domain size reveal a two-step process in which…
Exploiting the emerging nanoscale periodicities in epitaxial, single-crystal thin films is an exciting direction in quantum materials science: confinement and periodic distortions induce novel properties. The structural motifs of interest…
Three different film systems have been systematically investigated to understand the effects of strain and substrate constraint on the phase transitions of perovskite films. In SrTiO$_3$ films, the phase transition temperature T$_C$ was…
Dynamical phase separation during a solid-solid phase transition poses a challenge for understanding the fundamental processes in correlated materials. Critical information underlying a phase transition, such as localized phase competition,…
Oxygen stoichiometry is one of the most important elements in determining the physical properties of transition metal oxides (TMOs). A small fractional change in the oxygen content, resulting in the variation of valence state of the…
Control of oxygen stoichiometry in complex oxides via topotactic phase transition is an interesting avenue to not only modifying the physical properties, but utilizing in many energy technologies, such as energy storage and catalysts.…
We report first-principle atomistic simulations on the effect of local strain gradients on the nanoscale domain morphology of free-standing PbTiO$_3$ ultrathin films. First, the ferroelectric properties of free films at the atomic level are…
Ferroelectric switching and nanoscale domain dynamics were investigated using atomic force microscopy on monocrystalline Pb(Zr0.2Ti0.8)O3 thin films. Measurements of domain size versus writing time reveal a two-step domain growth mechanism,…
Understanding and controlling microscopic dynamics across spatial and temporal scales has driven major progress in science and technology over the past several decades. While ultrafast laser-based techniques have enabled probing nanoscale…
Nanoscale phase coexistence and inhomogeneity are ubiquitous in correlated electron materials, existing in doped Mott insulators, manganites, and high-temperature superconductors. The small length scales and lack of contrast mechanisms make…
MnAs films grown on GaAs (001) exhibit a progressive transition between hexagonal (ferromagnetic) and orthorhombic (paramagnetic) phases at wide temperature range instead of abrupt transition during the first-order phase transition. The…
We report transient highly strained structural states in individual palladium (Pd) nanocrystals, electronically heated using an optical laser, which precede their uniform thermal expansion. Using an X-ray free-electron laser probe, the…
In order to probe the mechanism of solid-solid phase transformations, we have applied ultrafast shock wave compression (120 picosecond duration) and ultrashort (130 femtosecond) x-ray diffraction at the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) to…
Oxygen vacancies play a crucial role in controlling the physical properties of complex oxides. In La0.7Sr0.3MnO3-{\delta}, the topotactic phase transition from Perovskite (PV) to Brownmillerite (BM) can be triggered e.g. via oxygen removal…
Halide perovskites are a versatile class of semiconductors employed for high performance emerging optoelectronic devices, including flexoelectric systems, yet the influence of their ionic nature on their mechanical behaviour is still to be…
Controlling magnetic textures at ever smaller length and time scales is of key fundamental and technological interest. Achieving nanoscale control often relies on finding an external stimulus that is able to act on that small length scales,…