Xiaofang Zhai

Xiaofang Zhai Group

The  study of low-dimensional quantum materials is very important, not only  being the  basis for the development of low energy consumpition and high  speed electronic devices, but also the key to  break through bottlenecks of the existing materials. We mainly use laser molecular beam epitaxy to manipulate the stacked lego structure of  single atomic  layers, develop new correlated eletron materials on the  basis of a single atomic layer, and study physical structures and  mechanisms, including (1) interfacial electronics and spintronics; (2) two-dimensional  freestanding films and soft electronics; (3) synchrotron and neutron  studies of interfacial physics. The goal is to explore  low-dimensional quantum materials and devices to fill future needs in ultra-small size and ultra-fast response electronic/spintronic  applications.

The Laser-MBE facility of our lab

1. Minhui Xu#, Yibo Wang#, Jia Liu, Long Cheng, Shuyin Li, Shuaishuai Yin, Xu Zheng, Lixin Yu, Aidi Zhao, Xiaolong Li, Jiandi Zhang*, Xiaofang Zhai*, Coexistence of Antiferromagnetic Spin Fluctuations and Superconductivity in La2SmNi2O7 Thin Films, arXiv preprint arXiv:2602.07994

2. Long Cheng#, Jia Liu#, Tongying Liu#, Pan Chen#, Mingyue Zhang, Jiashi Li, Shiyu Zhang, Fei Ye, Qing Wang, Weitao Liu*, Jian Kang*, Jiandi Zhang*, Xiaofang Zhai*, Interplay of spin-orbit coupling and trigonal crystal field enhances superconductivity in LAO/KTO (111), arXiv preprint arXiv:2511.15526

3. L Cheng#, M Bao#, J Zhang#, X Zhang#, Q Yang, Q Li, H Cao, D Qiu, J Liu, F Ye, Q Wang, G Liang, Hui Li, G Cheng, H Zhou, J-M Zuo, X Zhou, J Shen, Z Zhu*, S Mu*, W Wang*, X Zhai*, Angle-Resolved Magneto-Chiral Anisotropy in a Non-Centrosymmetric Atomic Layer Superlattice. Sci. Bull. 70 (9)  (2025)

4. J Liu, L Cheng,* M Zhang, J Zha, F Ye, X Zhai*, Observation of Quantum Criticality Class Crossover at the LaAlO3/KTaO3(111) Interface, Phys. Rev. Lett. 135, 216202 (2025). 

5. J Zha, J Liu, F Ye, H Fan, M Bao, L Cheng*, X Zhai*, Anomalous channel-width effect in devices of  a-LAO/KTO superconducting two-dimensional electron gases, Phys. Rev. Mater. 9 (8), 084801 (2025).

6. Q Wang, Q Lu, X Zhang*, L Xiang, L Cheng, X Li, H Zhou, X Zhai*, Emergent Uniaxial Magnetic Anisotropy in High-Integrity, Uniform Freestanding LaMnO3 Membranes, ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 16 (49), 68197-68203 (2024).

7. P P Balakrishnan, Q Lu, Q Wang, S Muramoto, P Quarterman, M R Fitzsimmons, T R Charlton, X Zhai*, A J Grutter*, Manipulating Interface Magnetism in Manganite Thin Film Membranes by Substrate Surface Chemistry, J.  Phys. Chem. C 128 (47), 20396-20406 (2024).

8. J Liu, F Ye, M Bao, H Fan, X Liu, Z Zhang, Z Gu, L Cheng*, X Zhai*, Confinement‐Enhanced Rashba Spin–Orbit Coupling at the LaAlO3/KTaO3 Interface via LaAlO3 Thickness Control, Physica Status Solidi (RRL), 2200441 (2023)

9. Q Lu#, X Lei#, J Fu, Q Wang, X Mao, L Cheng, X Zhai*, H Zeng*, Magnetic proximity effect in ultrathin freestanding WS2/LaMnO3 van der Waals heterostructures, AIP Adv. 13, 055115 (2023). 

10. Qinwen Lu,# Zhiwei Liu,# Qun Yang,# Hui Cao, Purnima Balakrishnan, Qing  Wang,   Long Cheng, Yalin Lu, Jian-Min Zuo, Hua Zhou, Patrick  Quarterman, Shin Muramoto, Alexander J. Grutter, Hanghui Chen*, and Xiaofang Zhai*, Engineering Magnetic Anisotropy and Emergent Multidirectional Soft Ferromagnetism in Ultrathin Freestanding LaMnO3 Films, ACS Nano 16, 7580–7588 (2022)

11. Q Lu, Q Wang, Q Yang, L Cheng, X Zhai*，Superflexibility in single-crystalline manganite oxide membranes with gigantic bending curvature and strain, Appl. Phys. Lett. 121, 171601 (2022)

12. Qinwen Lu,# Yun Cheng,# Lijun Wu,# Fengfeng Qi, Haijuan Zhang, Junxiao Yu, Qixin Liu, Qing Wang, Genhao Liang, Jie Chen, Yalin Lu, Jie Zhang, Dao Xiang,* Jin Zhao,* Yimei Zhu,* Xiaofang Zhai,* Photoinduced evolution of lattice orthorhombicity and conceivably enhanced ferromagnetism in LaMnO3 membranes, NPJ Quant. Mater. 7, 47 (2022). DOI: 10.1038/s41535-022-00456-4

    

    Fabrication of freestanding film on Cu grid and UED schematics

13.  G. Liang, L. Cheng*, J. Zha, H. Cao, J. Zhang, Q. Liu, M. Bao, J. Liu, X. Zhai*, In-situ quantification of the surface roughness for facile fabrications of atomically smooth thin films, Nano Res. 15, 1654-1659  (2021).

14.  H. Cao, H. Guo, Y. Shao, Q. Liu, X. Feng, Q. Lu, Z. Wang, A. Zhao, A. Fujimori, Y. Chuang, H. Zhou*, and X. Zhai*, Realization of Electron Antidoping by Modulating the Breathing Distortion in BaBiO3, Nano Lett. 21, 3981−3988 (2021). 
    

    

    Schematic lattice and electronic structure of BaBiO3-δ (0≤δ≤0.25)

    
    

15.  Z.   Cui, A. Grutter, H. Zhou, H. Cao, Y. Dong, D. Gilbert, J. Wang, Y.-S.     Liu, J. Ma, Z. Hu, J. Guo, J. Xia, B. Kirby, P. Shafer, E. Arenholz,   H.   Chen*, X. Zhai*, Y. Lu. Correlation-Driven Eightfold Magnetic Anisotropy in a Two-Dimensional Oxide Monolayer, Sci. Adv. 6, eaay0114 (2020).

      

    

    The eight-fold magentic anisotropy of single layer SrRuO3
    

      

16.   D. Meng#, H. Guo#, Z. Cui, C. Ma, J. Zhao, J. Lu, H. Xu, Z. Wang, X. Hu, Z. Fu, R. Peng, J. Guo, X. Zhai*, G. Brown, R, Knize, Y, Lu,* “Strain-induced high-temperature perovskite ferromagnetic insulator”, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 115(12), 2873-2877 (2018).

      

    

    The phase diagram of LaCoO3 strained film with oxygen vacancies
    

17.   H. Xu, X. Zhai*, Z. Wang, Z. Cui, Z. Fu, Y. Lu*, “An epitaxial synaptic device made by a band-offset BaTiO₃/Sr₂IrO₄ bilayer with high endurance and long retention", Appl. Phys. Lett. 114, 102904 (2019).

    

    Performance of synaptic device of SrIrO3/BaTiO3 heterostructure
    

18.       X. Zhai*, L. Cheng, Y. Liu*, C. M. Schlepütz, S. Dong*, H. Li, X. Zhang, S. Chu, Li. Zheng, J. Zhang, A. Zhao, H. Hong, A. Bhattacharya, J. N. Eckstein, C.Zeng, "Correlating interfacial octahedral rotations with magnetism in (LaMnO3+δ)N/(SrTiO3)N superlattices", Nat. Commun. 5, 4283 (2014).

19.     X. Zhai, C. Mohapatra, A. B. Shah, J.G. Wen, A. Bhattacharya, J. M. Zuo, and J.  N.   Eckstein, "New optical absorption bands in atomic layer   superlattices”, Adv. Mater. 22, 1136 (2010).