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Controllable Self‐Assembled Microstructures of La 0.7 Ca 0.3 MnO 3 :NiO Nanocomposite Thin Films and Their Tunable Functional Properties
Author(s) -
Ning Xingkun,
Wang Zhanjie,
Zhang Zhidong
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
advanced materials interfaces
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.671
H-Index - 65
ISSN - 2196-7350
DOI - 10.1002/admi.201500302
Subject(s) - materials science , nanocomposite , microstructure , non blocking i/o , magnetoresistance , thin film , nanotechnology , pulsed laser deposition , epitaxy , optoelectronics , composite material , magnetic field , biochemistry , chemistry , physics , layer (electronics) , quantum mechanics , catalysis
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 La 0.7 Ca 0.3 MnO 3 :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.