A microscopic view on the Mott transition in chromium-doped V(2)O(3).
Nat Commun
; 1: 105, 2010 Nov 02.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-21045823
ABSTRACT
V(2)O(3) is the prototype system for the Mott transition, one of the most fundamental phenomena of electronic correlation. Temperature, doping or pressure induce a metal-to-insulator transition (MIT) between a paramagnetic metal (PM) and a paramagnetic insulator. This or related MITs have a high technological potential, among others, for intelligent windows and field effect transistors. However the spatial scale on which such transitions develop is not known in spite of their importance for research and applications. Here we unveil for the first time the MIT in Cr-doped V(2)O(3) with submicron lateral resolution with decreasing temperature, microscopic domains become metallic and coexist with an insulating background. This explains why the associated PM phase is actually a poor metal. The phase separation can be associated with a thermodynamic instability near the transition. This instability is reduced by pressure, that promotes a genuine Mott transition to an eventually homogeneous metallic state.
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Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2010
Tipo de documento:
Article