Publication Type
Journal
Journal Name
Nano Letters
Publication Date
Page Numbers
973 to 976
Volume
11
Issue
3
Abstract
Certain complex cobalt oxides are known to exhibit ordered Co spin-states, as determined from neutron scattering and other reciprocal-space or macroscopic techniques. Here we report real-space atomic-resolution imaging of Co spin-state ordering in perovskite La0.5Sr0.5CoO3-δ thin films. Unlike the bulk material, where neither the O vacancies nor the Co spins are ordered, in the thin film we observe ordered arrays of vacancies, with high-spin Co ions in the planes with O vacancies, and low-spin Co ions in the stoichiometric planes. First-principles calculations provide support for this interpretation.
