title: Atomic-resolution imaging of spin-state superlattices in nanopockets within cobaltite thin films.
abstract: Certain cobalt oxides are known to exhibit ordered Co spin states, as determined from macroscopic techniques. Here we report real-space atomic-resolution imaging of Co spin-state ordering in nanopockets of La(0.5)Sr(0.5)CoO(3-δ) thin films. Unlike the bulk material, where no Co spin-state ordering is found, thin films present a strain-induced domain structure due to oxygen vacancy ordering, inside of which some nanometer sized domains show high-spin Co ions in the planes containing O vacancies and low-spin Co ions in the stoichiometric planes. First-principles calculations provide support for this interpretation.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Física Aplicada III, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, 28040, Spain. jgazqueza@gmail.com
authors.forename: Jaume
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gazquez
authors.forename: Weidong
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.forename: Mark P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Oxley
authors.forename: Micah
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Prange
authors.forename: Maria A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Torija
authors.forename: Manish
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sharma
authors.forename: Chris
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Leighton
authors.forename: Sokrates T
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Pantelides
authors.forename: Stephen J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Pennycook
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Varela