Modulated metal–insulator transition behaviors in vanadium dioxide nanowires with an artificial oxidized domain

Correlated vanadium dioxide (VO${}_2$) has shown promises in functional materials and advanced electronic devices with outstanding metal–insulator transition (MIT). The manipulations of MIT and structural phase transition in correlated oxides are among the major challenges in both fundamental science and technological applications. Herein, the modulation of MIT behaviors in one VO${}_2$ nanowire with an artificial oxidized domain induced by selected-area chemical nanoengineering is described. The formation of an artificial oxidized domain enables to suppress MIT and stabilize the insulating phase above the MIT temperature of pristine VO${}_2$ nanowires, which leads to an enhanced MIT hysteresis and temperature. The creation of artificial domains and the modulation of MIT in correlated oxide nanowires help to both investigate the essential physics behind correlated nanomaterials and fabricate nanoscale multifunctional devices. (© 2019 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)