2021/06/30 by Gour Jana, Abhishek Joshi, Subhajyoti Pal +1 · 5 citations
Chemistry · Materials Science · Physics and Astronomy · #Chemistry #Condensed matter physics #Electrical conductor #Electron #Insulator (electricity) #Magnetic and transport properties of perovskites and related materials #Materials science #Metal #Metal–insulator transition #Mott insulator #Optoelectronics #Physics #Physics of Superconductivity and Magnetism #Polarization (electrochemistry) #Quantum and electron transport phenomena #Quantum mechanics #Spin (aerodynamics) #Spin polarization #Thermal #Thermodynamics #cond-mat.str-el
paper · pdf · open access · doi:10.1038/s42005-022-00847-w
published in Communications Physics 5(1) (Nature Portfolio) · Published version
arxiv created 2022/03/21 · openalex publication_date 2022/03/21 · arxiv updated 2022/03/22 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
Sustaining exotic quantum mechanical phases at high temperatures is a long-standing goal of condensed matter physics. Among them, half-metals are spin-polarized conductors that are essential for realizing room-temperature spin current sources. However, typical half-metals are low-temperature phases whose spin polarization rapidly deteriorates with temperature increase. Here, we first show that a low-temperature insulator with an unequal charge gap for the two spin channels can arise from competing Mott and band insulating tendencies. We establish that thermal fluctuations can drive this insulator to a half-metal through a first-order phase transition by closing the charge gap for one spin channel. This half-metal has 100% spin polarization at the onset temperature of metallization. Further, varying the strength of electron repulsion can enhance the onset temperature while preserving spin polarization. We outline experimental scenarios for realizing this tunable finite temperature half-metal.