Annealing Effects and Insulator-to-Metal Transition in Nb Doped Sr2IrO4

The effects of vacuum and oxygen annealing on Sr 2-x Nb x IrO 4 samples have been systematically investigated. The annealing under vacuum leads to an enhanced insulating state of the Sr 2-x Nb x IrO 4 compounds, which could be due to the evaporation of oxygen atoms which breaks the superexchange int...

Ausführliche Beschreibung

Gespeichert in:
Bibliographische Detailangaben
Veröffentlicht in:Journal of low temperature physics 2024-08, Vol.216 (3-4), p.593-605
Hauptverfasser: Huang, Hui, Wang, Bingzheng, Zhao, Senlin, Han, Hui, Wang, Junfeng, Zu, Hao
Format: Artikel
Sprache:eng
Schlagworte:
Online-Zugang:Volltext
Tags: Tag hinzufügen
Keine Tags, Fügen Sie den ersten Tag hinzu!
Beschreibung
Zusammenfassung:The effects of vacuum and oxygen annealing on Sr 2-x Nb x IrO 4 samples have been systematically investigated. The annealing under vacuum leads to an enhanced insulating state of the Sr 2-x Nb x IrO 4 compounds, which could be due to the evaporation of oxygen atoms which breaks the superexchange interaction between Ir and O ions. The annealing under oxygen atmosphere results in substantial straightening of the in-plane Ir–O–Ir bond and rapid depression of the canted antiferromagnetic ordering state. Importantly, the insulator-to-metal transition has been achieved by oxygen annealing of the Sr 2-x Nb x IrO 4 samples, which could be due to the enhanced hybridization of Ir 5 d orbitals with the neighboring O 2 p orbitals. The present results suggest that the annealing treatment could be an effective way for exploring of novel physical phenomena in Sr 2 IrO 4 and related compounds.
ISSN:0022-2291
1573-7357
DOI:10.1007/s10909-024-03186-y