Controllable Self‐Assembled Microstructures of La_0.7Ca_0.3MnO₃:NiO Nanocomposite Thin Films and Their Tunable Functional Properties

Abstract

Two‐phase self‐assembled nanocomposite films have attracted increasing interest in recent years because of their potential applications in novel technological devices. However, tuning the physical properties by modulating the microstructure of self‐assembled nanocomposite films is still a challenge. In this study, epitaxial La0.7Ca0.3MnO3:NiO nanocomposite films are synthesized by pulsed laser deposition. In the composite films with a NiO ratio of 50%, microstructures with nanomultilayer, nanogranular, and nanocolumnar characteristics are successfully obtained by using different growth modes. The metal–insulator transition and magnetic transition can be separately modulated by tuning the microstructures. By precisely modulating the microstructure, a significantly enhanced low‐field magnetoresistance (>80% at a magnetic field of 1 T) with an unusual plateau in the temperature interval from 10 to 110 K is realized in these films, which is expected to be applicable in field‐sensor devices that can be operated in a wide temperature range.

Interfacial spin glass mediated spontaneous exchange bias effect in self-assembled La0.7Sr0.3MnO3:NiO nanocomposite thin films

“…In this combination of LSMO and NiO structures on STO substrate, LSMO will play the role of host matrix for the secondary phase of NiO. 28,29 Magnetization as a function of the temperature of S14 and L14 films and LSMO/NiO bilayer are shown in Fig. 3 La0.7Ca0.3MnO3 and NiO heterostructure.…”

Enhanced polarization and dielectricity in BaTiO3:NiO nanocomposite films modulated by the microstructure

“…5,6 The properties of these nanostructures depend signicantly on nanostructure morphology as well as orientation. [7][8][9] Especially, functional properties of these nanocomposite lms, such as low-eld magnetoresistance (LFMR), 10,11 magnetoelectric properties, 12,13 electronictransport properties, 14,15 ferroelectric (FE) properties 16,17 and dielectric properties 18 tremendously depend on the size, shape, and arrangement of each constituted phase in these composite lms. Therefore, manipulation of the micro-structures of nanocomposite lms can be expected to give rise to rich tunable functionalities.…”

“…However, interestingly, extreme enhancement of the functionalities always appears in the vicinity of one critical content of the second phase which correlates with the transformation of the microstructures. 7,10,36 Therefore, the tuning of the microstructures of the nanocomposite lms at a critical content of the second phase could help us to tailor their desirable functionalities.…”

Role of Interlayer in 3D Vertically Aligned Nanocomposite Frameworks with Tunable Magnetotransport Properties

“…[ 6–12 ] Among all the two‐phase nanocomposite designs, vertically aligned nanocomposites (VANs) offer high‐density vertically aligned interfaces, strain coupling, and strong anisotropic physical properties and have thus attracted great attention. [ 3,13–20 ]…”