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Register a new userControl of octahedral rotations in (LaNiO$_3$)$_{n}$/(SrMnO$_3$)$_m$ superlattices
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Oxygen octahedral rotations have been measured in short-period (LaNiO$_3$)$_n$/(SrMnO$_3$)$_m$ superlattices using synchrotron diffraction. The in-plane and out-of-plane bond angles and lengths are found to systematically vary with superlattice composition. Rotations are suppressed in structures with $m>n$, producing a nearly cubic form of LaNiO$_3$. Large rotations are present in structures with $m<n$, leading to reduced bond angles in SrMnO$_3$. The metal-oxygen-metal bond lengths decrease as rotations are reduced, in contrast to behavior previously observed in strained, single layer films. This result demonstrates that superlattice structures can be used to stabilize non-equilibrium octahedral behavior in a manner distinct from epitaxial strain, providing a novel means to engineer the electronic and ferroic properties of oxide heterostructures.
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The emergence of magnetic reconstructions at the interfaces of oxide heterostructures are often explained via subtle modifications in the electronic densities, exchange couplings, or strain. Here an additional possible route for induced magnetism is studied in the context of the (LaNiO$_3$)$_n$/(LaMnO$_3$)$_n$ superlattices using a hybrid tight-binding model. In the LaNiO$_3$ region, the induced magnetizations decouple from the intensity of charge leakage from Mn to Ni, but originate from the spin-filtered quantum confinement present in these nanostructures. In general, the induced magnetization is the largest for the (111)-stacking and the weakest for the (001)-stacking superlattices, results compatible with the exchange bias effects reported by Gibert et al. Nat. Mater. 11, 195 (2012).
The epitaxial stabilization of a single layer or superlattice structures composed of complex oxide materials on polar (111) surfaces is severely burdened by reconstructions at the interface, that commonly arise to neutralize the polarity. We report on the synthesis of high quality LaNiO$_3$/mLaAlO$_3$ pseudo cubic (111) superlattices on polar (111)-oriented LaAlO$_3$, the proposed complex oxide candidate for a topological insulating behavior. Comprehensive X-Ray diffraction measurements, RHEED, and element specific resonant X-ray absorption spectroscopy affirm their high structural and chemical quality. The study offers an opportunity to fabricate interesting interface and topology controlled (111) oriented superlattices based on ortho-nickelates.
Motivated by recent experiments, we use the $+U$ extension of the generalized gradient approximation to density functional theory to study superlattices composed of alternating layers of LaNiO$_3$ and LaMnO$_3$. For comparison we also study a rocksalt ((111) double perovskite) structure and bulk LaNiO$_3$ and LaMnO$_3$. A Wannier function analysis indicates that band parameters are transferable from bulk to superlattice situations with the exception of the transition metal d-level energy, which has a contribution from the change in d-shell occupancy. The charge transfer from Mn to Ni is found to be moderate in the superlattice, indicating metallic behavior, in contrast to the insulating behavior found in recent experiments, while the rocksalt structure is found to be insulating with a large Mn-Ni charge transfer. We suggest a high density of cation antisite defects may account for the insulating behavior experimentally observed in short-period superlattices.
Polar compensation can play an important role in the determination of interfacial electronic and magnetic properties in oxide heterostructures. Using x-ray absorption spectroscopy, x-ray magnetic circular dichroism, bulk magnetometry, and transport measurements, we find that interfacial charge redistribution via polar compensation is essential for explaining the evolution of interfacial ferromagnetism in LaNiO$_3$/CaMnO$_3$ superlattices as a function of LaNiO$_3$ layer thickness. In insulating superlattices (4 unit cells or less of LaNiO$_3$), magnetism is dominated by Ni-Mn superexchange, while itinerant electron-based Mn-Mn double-exchange plays a role in thicker metallic superlattices. X-ray magnetic circular dichroism and resonant x-ray scattering show that Ni-Mn superexchange contributes to the magnetization even in metallic superlattices. This Ni-Mn superexchange interaction can be explained in terms of polar compensation at the LaNiO$_3$-CaMnO$_3$ interface. These results highlight the different mechanisms responsible for interfacial ferromagnetism and the importance of understanding compensation due to polar mismatch at oxide-based interfaces when engineering magnetic properties.
Distortions of the oxygen octahedra influence the fundamental electronic structure of perovskite oxides, such as their bandwidth and exchange interactions. Utilizing a fully ab-initio methodology based on density functional theory plus dynamical mean field theory (DFT+DMFT), we study the crystal and magnetic structure of SrMoO$_3$. Comparing our results with DFT+$U$ performed on the same footing, we find that DFT+$U$ overestimates the propensity for magnetic ordering, as well as the octahedral rotations, leading to a different ground state structure. This demonstrates that structural distortions can be highly sensitive to electronic correlation effects, and to the considered magnetic state, even in a moderately correlated metal such as SrMoO$_3$. Moreover, by comparing different downfolding schemes, we demonstrate the robustness of the DFT+DMFT method for obtaining structural properties, highlighting its versatility for applications to a broad range of materials.
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