2011/05/20 by A. V. Boris, Y. Matiks, E. Benckiser +20 · 5 citations
Chemistry · Materials Science · Physics and Astronomy · #Advanced Condensed Matter Physics #Artificial intelligence #Chemical physics #Chemistry #Computer science #Condensed matter physics #Curse of dimensionality #Electronic and Structural Properties of Oxides #Magnetic and transport properties of perovskites and related materials #Materials science #Metallurgy #Nanotechnology #Nickel #Nickel oxide #Optoelectronics #Oxide #Phase (matter) #Phase control #Physics #Superlattice #cond-mat.mes-hall #cond-mat.mtrl-sci #cond-mat.str-el
paper · pdf · doi:10.1126/science.1202647
published as Science 20 May 2011: Vol. 332 no. 6032 pp. 937-940
openalex publication_date 2011/05/20 · arxiv created 2011/11/16 · arxiv updated 2011/11/17 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
The competition between collective quantum phases in materials with strongly correlated electrons depends sensitively on the dimensionality of the electron system, which is difficult to control by standard solid-state chemistry. We have fabricated superlattices of the paramagnetic metal lanthanum nickelate (LaNiO(3)) and the wide-gap insulator lanthanum aluminate (LaAlO(3)) with atomically precise layer sequences. We used optical ellipsometry and low-energy muon spin rotation to show that superlattices with LaNiO(3) as thin as two unit cells undergo a sequence of collective metal-insulator and antiferromagnetic transitions as a function of decreasing temperature, whereas samples with thicker LaNiO(3) layers remain metallic and paramagnetic at all temperatures. Metal-oxide superlattices thus allow control of the dimensionality and collective phase behavior of correlated-electron systems.