%0 Journal Article
%T Persistent non-metallic behavior in Sr2IrO4 and Sr3Ir2O7 at high pressures
%A D. A. Zocco
%A J. J. Hamlin
%A B. D. White
%A B. J. Kim
%A J. R. Jeffries
%A S. T. Weir
%A Y. K. Vohra
%A J. W. Allen
%A M. B. Maple
%J Physics
%D 2013
%I arXiv
%R 10.1088/0953-8984/26/25/255603
%X Iridium-based 5d transition-metal oxides are attractive candidates for the study of correlated electronic states due to the interplay of enhanced crystal-field, Coulomb and spin-orbit interaction energies. At ambient pressure, these conditions promote a novel Jeff = 1/2 Mott insulating state, characterized by a gap of the order of ~0.1 eV. We present high-pressure electrical resistivity measurements of single crystals of Sr2IrO4 and Sr3Ir2O7. While no indications of a pressure-induced metallic state up to 55 GPa were found in Sr2IrO4, a strong decrease of the gap energy and of the resistance of Sr3Ir2O7 between ambient pressure and 104 GPa confirm that this compound is in the proximity of a metal-insulator transition.
%U http://arxiv.org/abs/1304.5864v2