Bao Wen Li

Engineered interfaces of artificial perovskite oxide superlattices via nanosheet deposition process.

Combining different materials into desired superlattice structures can produce new electronic states at the interface and the opportunity to create artificial materials with novel properties. Here we introduce a new, rather unexpected, and yet simple way to such a superlattice assembly of perovskite oxides: in the Dion-Jacobson phase, a model system of layered perovskites, high-quality bicolor perovskite superlattices (LaNb(2)O(7))(nL)(Ca(2)Nb(3)O(10))(nC) are successfully fabricated by a layer-by-layer assembly using two different perovskite nanosheets (LaNb(2)O(7) and Ca(2)Nb(3)O(10)) as a building block. The artificially fabricated (LaNb(2)O(7)/Ca(2)Nb(3)O(10)) superlattices are structurally unique, which is not feasible to create in the bulk form. By such an artificial structuring, we found that (LaNb(2)O(7)/Ca(2)Nb(3)O(10)) superlattices possess a new form of interface coupling, which gives rise to ferroelectricity.

All-Nanosheet Ultrathin Capacitors Assembled Layer-by-Layer via Solution-Based Processes

All-nanosheet ultrathin capacitors of Ru0.95O20.2-/Ca2Nb3O10-/Ru0.95O20.2- were successfully assembled through facile room-temperature solution-based processes. As a bottom electrode, conductive Ru0.95O20.2- nanosheets were first assembled on a quartz glass substrate through a sequential adsorption process with polycations. On top of the Ru0.95O20.2- nanosheet film, Ca2Nb3O10- nanosheets were deposited by the Langmuir-Blodgett technique to serve as a dielectric layer. Deposition parameters were optimized for each process to construct a densely packed multilayer structure. The multilayer buildup process was monitored by various characterizations such as atomic force microscopy (AFM), ultraviolet-visible absorption spectra, and X-ray diffraction data, which provided compelling evidence for regular growth of Ru0.95O20.2- and Ca2Nb3O10- nanosheet films with the designed multilayer structures. Finally, an array of circular films (50 μm ϕ) of Ru0.95O20.2- nanosheets was fabricated as top electrodes on the as-deposited nanosheet films by combining the standard photolithography and sequential adsorption processes. Microscopic observations by AFM and cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy, as well as nanoscopic elemental analysis, visualized the sandwich metal-insulator-metal structure of Ru0.95O20.2-/Ca2Nb3O10-/Ru0.95O20.2- with a total thickness less than 30 nm. Electrical measurements indicate that the system really works as an ultrathin capacitor, achieving a capacitance density of ∼27.5 μF cm(-2), which is far superior to currently available commercial capacitor devices. This work demonstrates the great potential of functional oxide nanosheets as components for nanoelectronics, thus contributing to the development of next-generation high-performance electronic devices.

High Thermal Robustness of Molecularly Thin Perovskite Nanosheets and Implications for Superior Dielectric Properties

A systematic study has been conducted to examine the thermal stability of layer-by-layer assembled films of perovskite-type nanosheets, (Ca2Nb3O10(-))n (n = 1-10), which exhibit superior dielectric and insulating properties. In-plane and out-of-plane X-ray diffraction data as well as observations by atomic force microscopy and transmission electron microscopy indicated the high thermal robustness of the nanosheet films. In a monolayer film with an extremely small thickness of ∼2 nm, the nanosheet was stable up to 800 °C, the temperature above which segregation into CaNb2O6 and Ca2Nb2O7 began. The critical temperature moderately decreased as the film thickness, or the number of nanosheet layers, increased, and reached 700 °C for seven- and 10-layer films, which is comparable to the phase transformation temperature for a bulk phase of the protonic layered oxide of HCa2Nb3O10·1.5H2O as a precursor of the nanosheet. This thermal stabilization of perovskite-type nanosheets should be associated with restricted nucleation and crystal growth peculiar to such ultrathin 2D bound systems. The stable high-k dielectric response (εr = 210) and highly insulating nature (J < 10(-7) A cm(-2)) remained substantially unchanged even after the nanosheet film was annealed up to 600 °C. This study demonstrates the high thermal stability of 2D perovskite-type niobate nanosheets in terms of structure and dielectric properties, which suggests promising potential for future high-k devices operable over a wide temperature range.

2D perovskite nanosheets with thermally-stable high-κ response: a new platform for high-temperature capacitors.

We investigated high-temperature dielectric responses of high-κ perovskite nanosheet (Ca2Nb3O10), an important material platform for postgraphene technology and ultrascale electronic devices. Through in situ characterizations using conducting atomic force microscopy, we found a robust high-temperature property of Ca2Nb3O10 nanosheet even in a monolayer form (∼2 nm). Furthermore, layer-by-layer assembled nanocapacitors retained both size-free high-εr characteristic (∼200) and high insulation resistance (∼1×10(-7) A/cm2) at high temperatures up to 250 °C. The simultaneous improvement of εr and thermal stability in high-κ nanodielectrics is of critical technological importance, and perovskite nanosheet has great potential for a rational design and construction of high-temperature capacitors.

Coexistence of Magnetic Order and Ferroelectricity at 2D Nanosheet Interfaces

Multiferroic materials, in which the electronic polarization can be switched by a magnetic field and vice versa, are of fundamental importance for new electronic technologies. However, there exist very few single-phase materials that exhibit such cross-coupling properties at room temperature, and heterostructures with a strong magnetoelectric coupling have only been made with complex techniques. Here, we present a rational design for multiferroic materials by use of a layer-by-layer engineering of 2D nanosheets. Our approach to new multiferroic materials is the artificial construction of high-quality superlattices by interleaving ferromagnetic Ti0.8Co0.2O2 nanosheets with dielectric perovskite-structured Ca2Nb3O10 nanosheets. Such an artificial structuring allows us to engineer the interlayer coupling, and the (Ti0.8Co0.2O2/Ca2Nb3O10/Ti0.8Co0.2O2) superlattices induce room-temperature ferroelectricity in the presence of the ferromagnetic order. Our technique provides a new route for tailoring artificial multiferroic materials in a highly controllable manner.

Solution-Based Fabrication of Perovskite Multilayers and Superlattices Using Nanosheet Process

We report a solution-based fabrication of perovskite multilayers and superlattices using perovskite nanosheets. Perovskite nanosheets (LaNb2O7, Ca2Nb3O10, and Sr2Nb3O10) were prepared by delaminating layered perovskites. A layer-by-layer approach using Langmuir–Blodgett deposition was effective for fabricating high-quality nanofilms of perovskite nanosheets on various substrates, such as quartz glass, Si, and SrRuO3. Structural characterizations by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy revealed that these perovskite nanofilms are composed of a well-ordered lamellar structure with an atomically sharp interface. The multilayer films exhibited a stable dielectric response inherent to the perovskite nanosheet. We also found that the superlattices of (LaNb2O7/Ca2Nb3O10)5 and (Sr2Nb3O10/Ca2Nb3O10)5 possess strong interface coupling, which gives rise to enhanced dielectric constant.

Atomic Layer Engineering of High-κ Ferroelectricity in 2D Perovskites

Complex perovskite oxides offer tremendous potential for controlling their rich variety of electronic properties, including high-TC superconductivity, high-κ ferroelectricity, and quantum magnetism. Atomic-scale control of these intriguing properties in ultrathin perovskites is an important challenge for exploring new physics and device functionality at atomic dimensions. Here, we demonstrate atomic-scale engineering of dielectric responses using two-dimensional (2D) homologous perovskite nanosheets (Ca2Nam-3NbmO3m+1; m = 3-6). In this homologous 2D material, the thickness of the perovskite layers can be incrementally controlled by changing m, and such atomic layer engineering enhances the high-κ dielectric response and local ferroelectric instability. The end member (m = 6) attains a high dielectric constant of ∼470, which is the highest among all known dielectrics in the ultrathin region (<10 nm). These results provide a new strategy for achieving high-κ ferroelectrics for use in ultrascaled high-density capacitors and post-graphene technology.

Artificial design for new ferroelectrics using nanosheet-architectonics concept.

Control over the emergence of ferroelectric order remains a fundamental challenge for the rational design of artificial materials with novel properties. Here we report a new strategy for artificial design of layered perovskite ferroelectrics by using oxide nanosheets (high-k dielectric Ca2Nb3O10 and insulating Ti0.87O2) as a building block. We approached the preparation of superlattice films by a layer-by-layer assembly involving Langmuir-Blodgett deposition. The artificially fabricated (Ti0.87O2/Ca2Nb3O10)2(Ti0.87O2) superlattices are structurally unique, which is not feasible to create in the bulk form. By such an artificial structuring, we found that (Ti0.87O2/Ca2Nb3O10)2(Ti0.87O2) superlattices possess a new form of interface coupling, which gives rise to ferroelectricity with a good fatigue-free characteristic. Considering the flexibility of self-assembled nanosheet interfaces, this technique provides a route to synthesize a new kind of layered ferroelectric oxides.