Nanoscale imaging of the electronic and structural transitions in vanadium dioxide

TL;DR

This study uses nanoscale imaging techniques to explore the complex electronic and structural phase transitions in vanadium dioxide, revealing phase coexistence, local non-monotonic lattice switching, and a dichotomy between electronic and structural changes.

Contribution

It provides new insights into the nanoscale behavior of VO2 during phase transitions, highlighting differences between electronic and structural dynamics.

Findings

Phase coexistence and percolation during the transition

Local non-monotonic lattice switching observed

Dichotomy between electronic and structural transitions

Abstract

We investigate the electronic and structural changes at the nanoscale in vanadium dioxide (VO2) in the vicinity of its thermally driven phase transition. Both electronic and structural changes exhibit phase coexistence leading to percolation. In addition, we observe a dichotomy between the local electronic and structural transitions. Nanoscale x-ray diffraction reveals local, non-monotonic switching of the lattice structure, a phenomenon that is not seen in the electronic insulator-to-metal transition mapped by near-field infrared microscopy.