Structural and Electronic Evolution of Bilayer Nickelates Under Biaxial Strain

Fuente: arXiv
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Autori principali: Bhatta, H C Regan B., Zhang, Xiaoliang, Zhong, Yong, Jia, Chunjing
Natura: Preprint
Pubblicazione: 2025
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author Bhatta, H C Regan B.
Zhang, Xiaoliang
Zhong, Yong
Jia, Chunjing
author_facet Bhatta, H C Regan B.
Zhang, Xiaoliang
Zhong, Yong
Jia, Chunjing
contents The discovery of high-Tc superconductivity around 80K in bilayer nickelate La3Ni2O7 under high pressure has expanded the family of high-Tc superconductors above the nitrogen boiling temperature. Recent studies have further shown that ambient pressure superconductivity with a Tc exceeding 40K can be achieved in compressively strained La3Ni2O7 thin films, offering a tunable platform for investigating the pairing mechanism in high-Tc nickelates. A comprehensive understanding of the structural and electronic properties of bilayer nickelate under epitaxial strain is essential to advance this active field. In this work, we employ first-principles calculations to systematically explore the entire rare-earth (Re) series of bilayer nickelates Re3Ni2O7 in the realistic orthorhombic Amam phase under various compressive and tensile strain conditions. We highlight the materials properties change when strain is applied, and compare these results with those observed under high pressure. Our findings show that 2.5\% compressive strain increases the apical Ni-O-Ni bond angle toward 180 degree, and causes the Ni $d_{z^2}$ bands to move away from the Fermi level. The tight-binding parameters for the 2.5\% compressively strained La3Ni2O7 are quite similar to those of the unstrained material, except that the on-site energy difference between the Ni $d_{z^2}$ and $d_{x^2-y^2}$ orbitals increases by about 50 percent. Notably, the absence of the $d_{z^2}$ bands at the Fermi energy under compressive strain contrasts sharply with the electronic structure in the high-pressure {\it Fmmm} phase, suggesting that the presence of $d_{z^2}$ bands at the Fermi energy may not be a requisite for superconductivity.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2502_01624
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Structural and Electronic Evolution of Bilayer Nickelates Under Biaxial Strain
Bhatta, H C Regan B.
Zhang, Xiaoliang
Zhong, Yong
Jia, Chunjing
Superconductivity
The discovery of high-Tc superconductivity around 80K in bilayer nickelate La3Ni2O7 under high pressure has expanded the family of high-Tc superconductors above the nitrogen boiling temperature. Recent studies have further shown that ambient pressure superconductivity with a Tc exceeding 40K can be achieved in compressively strained La3Ni2O7 thin films, offering a tunable platform for investigating the pairing mechanism in high-Tc nickelates. A comprehensive understanding of the structural and electronic properties of bilayer nickelate under epitaxial strain is essential to advance this active field. In this work, we employ first-principles calculations to systematically explore the entire rare-earth (Re) series of bilayer nickelates Re3Ni2O7 in the realistic orthorhombic Amam phase under various compressive and tensile strain conditions. We highlight the materials properties change when strain is applied, and compare these results with those observed under high pressure. Our findings show that 2.5\% compressive strain increases the apical Ni-O-Ni bond angle toward 180 degree, and causes the Ni $d_{z^2}$ bands to move away from the Fermi level. The tight-binding parameters for the 2.5\% compressively strained La3Ni2O7 are quite similar to those of the unstrained material, except that the on-site energy difference between the Ni $d_{z^2}$ and $d_{x^2-y^2}$ orbitals increases by about 50 percent. Notably, the absence of the $d_{z^2}$ bands at the Fermi energy under compressive strain contrasts sharply with the electronic structure in the high-pressure {\it Fmmm} phase, suggesting that the presence of $d_{z^2}$ bands at the Fermi energy may not be a requisite for superconductivity.
title Structural and Electronic Evolution of Bilayer Nickelates Under Biaxial Strain
topic Superconductivity
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2502.01624