Orthorhombic $\mathrm{SrIr}{\mathrm{O}}_3$ is a typical spin-orbit-coupled correlated metal that shows diversified physical properties under external stimuli. Here the nonlinear Hall effect and weakly temperature-dependent resistance are observed in a $\mathrm{SrIr}{\mathrm{O}}_3$ film epitaxially grown on a $\mathrm{SrTi}{\mathrm{O}}_3$ substrate. It infers that orthorhombic $\mathrm{SrIr}{\mathrm{O}}_3$ is a semimetal oxide. However, a linear Hall effect and insensitive-temperature-dependent resistance are observed in $\mathrm{SrIr}{\mathrm{O}}_3$ films grown on $(\mathrm{La},\mathrm{Sr})(\mathrm{Al},\mathrm{Ta}){\mathrm{O}}_3$ (LSAT) substrates, suggesting a tunable semimetallic state due to a band structure change in $\mathrm{SrIr}{\mathrm{O}}_3$ films under different compressive strains. The mechanism of this evolution is explored in detail through a strain-state analysis by reciprocal space mapping and electron diffraction, carrier density and mobility calculations, as well as electronic band structure evolution under compressive strain (predicted by a tight-binding approximation). It might suggest that the strain-induced band shift leads to semimetallic tuning in the $\mathrm{SrIr}{\mathrm{O}}_3$ film grown on $\mathrm{SrTi}{\mathrm{O}}_3$ to LSAT substrates. Our findings illustrate the tunability of $\mathrm{SrIr}{\mathrm{O}}_3$ properties and pave the way to induce different physical states in $\mathrm{SrIr}{\mathrm{O}}_3$, such as the proposed topological insulator state in heterostructures.

The van der Waals epitaxy of single crystalline Bi₂Se₃ film was achieved on hydrogen passivated Si(111) (H:Si) substrate by physical vapor deposition. Valence band structures of Bi₂Se₃/H:Si heterojunction were investigated by X-ray photoemission spectroscopy and ultraviolet photoemission spectroscopy. The measured Schottky barrier height at the Bi₂Se₃-H:Si interface was 0.31 eV. The findings pave the way for economically preparing heterojunctions and multilayers of layered compound families of topological insulators.

Perovskite strontium ruthenate (SrRuO₃, i.e., SRO) films, for the first time serving as a Pt-free counter electrode in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs), have demonstrated promising electrocatalytic activity towards triiodide (I₃ ⁻) reduction, resulting in power conversion efficiency (PCE) close to that of conventional Pt counter electrodes. Furthermore, the lattice mismatch with the substrate could change the electrocatalytic activity of epitaxial SRO films, arising from the deviations from the local symmetry. X-ray diffraction (XRD) results confirm that in-plain tensile strain induces lattice shortening along the out-of-plane direction for the SRO film deposited on a (100) oriented MgAl₂O₄ (MAO) single crystal substrate (SRO/MAO), whereas biaxial compressive strain in the plane of SRO grown on a (100) oriented single crystal SrTiO₃ (STO) substrate (SRO/STO) leads to the elongation of out-of-plane spacing. Our results show that the SRO/MAO counter electrode exhibits an improved electrocatalytic activity, reduced charge-transfer resistance (R_ct) at the counter electrode/electrolyte interface, and accelerated I₃ ⁻ diffusion in the electrolyte compared to the SRO/STO counter electrode. The decreased Ru–I₃ ⁻ distance perpendicular to the surface upon application of in-plane tensile strain would contribute to the increased adsorption strength of the I₃ ⁻, and thus promoted the I₃ ⁻/I⁻ redox reaction. Hence, the device with the SRO/MAO counter electrode reveals an increase of 17.18% in PCE compared to the SRO/STO based device. This work provides new insight into further enhancement of PCE through design and engineering of the crystal and microstructure of SRO films, which is applicable to a range of perovskite chemistries.

Controllable interfacial strain can manipulate the physical properties of epitaxial films and help understand the physical nature of the correlation between the properties and the atomic microstructures. By using a proper design of vicinal single-crystal substrate, the interface strain in epitaxial thin films can be well controlled by adjusting the miscut angle via a surface-step-terrace matching growth mode. Here, we demonstrate that LaAlO₃ (LAO) substrates with various miscut angles of 1.0°, 2.75°, and 5.0° were used to tune the dielectric properties of epitaxial CaCu₃Ti₄O₁₂ (CCTO) thin films. A model of coexistent compressive and tensile strained domains is proposed to understand the epitaxial nature. Our findings on the self-tuning of the compressive and tensile strained domain ratio along the interface depending on the miscut angle and the stress relaxation mechanism under this growth mode will open a new avenue to achieve CCTO films with high dielectric constant and low dielectric loss, which is critical for the design and integration of advanced heterostructures for high performance capacitance device applications.

This article summarizes some of the critical features of pure indium antimonide nanowires (InSb NWs) growth and their potential applications in the industry. In the first section, historical studies on the growth of InSb NWs have been presented, while in the second part, a comprehensive overview of the various synthesis techniques is demonstrated briefly. The major emphasis of current review is vapor phase deposition of NWs by manifold techniques. In addition, author review various protocols and methodologies employed to generate NWs from diverse material systems via self-organized fabrication procedures comprising chemical vapor deposition, annealing in reactive atmosphere, evaporation of InSb, molecular/ chemical beam epitaxy, solution-based techniques, and top-down fabrication method. The benefits and ill effects of the gold and self-catalyzed materials for the growth of NWs are explained at length. Afterward, in the next part, four thermodynamic characteristics of NW growth criterion concerning the expansion of NWs, growth velocity, Gibbs–Thomson effect, and growth model were expounded and discussed concisely. Recent progress in device fabrications is explained in the third part, in which the electrical and optical properties of InSb NWs were reviewed by considering the effects of conductivity which are diameter dependent and the applications of NWs in the fabrications of field-effect transistors, quantum devices, thermoelectrics, and detectors.