Kinetic Arrest of a First Order Phase Transition

TL;DR

This paper develops a phenomenological theory for the kinetic arrest of first-order phase transitions, exemplified by the Mott transition in V₂O₃, highlighting how strain and elastic barriers can trap high-symmetry phases and influence memristive behavior.

Contribution

It introduces a universal transcendental condition for kinetic arrest using a TDGL framework and demonstrates how substrate-induced strain affects phase stability in V₂O₃ thin films.

Findings

Epitaxial strain elevates elastic barriers, trapping the metallic phase at low temperatures.

Structural suppression explains hysteretic V-I switching in V₂O₃.

Identifies a 'Mott-Glass' as a non-equilibrium, structurally arrested state.

Abstract

We report a phenomenological theory for the kinetic arrest (KA) of a first-order phase transition, taking the Mott metal-insulator transition in $V_2O_3$ as a test case. By defining a order parameter $\phi$ related to the monoclinic distortion of the high temperature metallic and mapping its Time-Dependent Ginzburg-Landau (TDGL) dynamics onto a disorder-influenced Imry-Wortis landscape, we derive a universal transcendental condition for the mechanism of the kinetic arrest. We demonstrate that epitaxial substrate-induced clamping in (001)-oriented $V_2O_3$ thin films elevates the elastic activation barriers, trapping the high-symmetry corundum phase down to 4.2~K. This structural suppression of the insulating state robustly explains the observed hysteretic $V$-$I$ switching a hallmark of memristive behaviour. Our work identifies a "Mott-Glass" as a structurally arrested non-equilibrium state in the strained thin-film of V$_2$O$_3$. Our work provides a predictive framework for engineering strain-tuned neuromorphic synapses.