Metal–insulator transition

Metal–insulator transitions are transitions from a metal (material with good electrical conductivity of electric charges) to an insulator (material where conductivity of charges is quickly suppressed). These transitions can be achieved by tuning various ambient parameters such as pressure or, in case of a semiconductor, doping.

History

The basic distinction between metals and insulators was proposed by Bethe, Sommerfeld and Bloch in 1928/1929. It distinguished between conducting metals (with partially filled bands) and nonconducting insulators. However, in 1937 de Boer and Evert Verwey reported that many transition-metal oxides (such as NiO) with a partially filled d-band were poor conductors, often insulating. In the same year, the importance of the electron-electron correlation was stated by Peierls. Since then, these materials as well as others exhibiting a transition between a metal and an insulator have been extensively studied, e.g. by Sir Nevill Mott, after whom the insulating state is named Mott insulator.

The first metal-insulator transition to be found was the Verwey transition of magnetite in the 1940s.[1]

Theoretical description

The classical band structure of solid state physics predicts the Fermi level to lie in a band gap for insulators and in the conduction band for metals, which means metallic behavior is seen for compounds with partially filled bands. However, some compounds have been found which show insulating behavior even for partially filled bands. This is due to the electron-electron correlation, since electrons cannot be seen as noninteracting. Mott considers a lattice model with just one electron per site. Without taking the interaction into account, each site could be occupied by two electrons, one with spin up and one with spin down. Due to the interaction the electrons would then feel a strong Coulomb repulsion, which Mott argued splits the band in two. Having one electron per-site fills the lower band while the upper band remains empty, which suggests the system becomes an insulator. This interaction-driven insulating state is referred to as a Mott insulator. The Hubbard model is one simple model commonly used to describe metal-insulator transitions and the formation of a Mott insulator.

References

1. Dancing electrons solve a longstanding puzzle in the oldest magnetic material

Further reading

• Mott, N. F. (1 October 1968). "Metal-Insulator Transition". Reviews of Modern Physics. 40 (4): 677–683. doi:10.1103/RevModPhys.40.677.
• Mott, N. (1974). Metal–Insulator Transitions. Taylor & Francis Ltd. ISBN 978-0-85066-079-1.
• Imada, M.; Fujimori, Tokura (1998). "Metal–insulator transitions". Rev. Mod. Phys. 70 (4): 1039. Bibcode:1998RvMP...70.1039I. doi:10.1103/revmodphys.70.1039. http://rmp.aps.org/abstract/RMP/v70/i4/p1039_1