Tailoring the electronic transitions of NdNiO₃ films through (111)_pc oriented interfaces

Abstract

Bulk NdNiO 3 and thin films grown along the pseudocubic (001) pc axis display a 1st order metal to insulator transition (MIT) together with a Nel transition at T = 200 K. Here, we show that for NdNiO 3 films deposited on (111) pc NdGaO 3 , the MIT occurs at T = 335 K and the Nel transition at T = 230 K. By comparing transport and magnetic properties of layers grown on substrates with different symmetries and lattice parameters, we demonstrate a particularly large tuning when the epitaxy is realized on (111) pc surfaces. We attribute this effect to the specific lattice matching conditions imposed along this direction when using orthorhombic substrates.