Phase management in single-crystalline vanadium dioxide beams
Run Shi, Yong Chen, Xiangbin Cai, Qing Lian, Zhuoqiong Zhang, Nan Shen, Abbas Amini, Ning Wang, Chun Cheng
Abstract
Abstract A systematic study of various metal-insulator transition (MIT) associated phases of VO 2 , including metallic R phase and insulating phases (T, M1, M2), is required to uncover the physics of MIT and trigger their promising applications. Here, through an oxide inhibitor-assisted stoichiometry engineering, we show that all the insulating phases can be selectively stabilized in single-crystalline VO 2 beams at room temperature. The stoichiometry engineering strategy also provides precise spatial control of the phase configurations in as-grown VO 2 beams at the submicron-scale, introducing a fresh concept of phase transition route devices. For instance, the combination of different phase transition routes at the two sides of VO 2 beams gives birth to a family of single-crystalline VO 2 actuators with highly improved performance and functional diversity. This work provides a substantial understanding of the stoichiometry-temperature phase diagram and a stoichiometry engineering strategy for the effective phase management of VO 2 .