New Insights into Metal–Insulator Transitions
A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Materials Physics".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 February 2024) | Viewed by 4079
Special Issue Editors
Interests: condensed matter physics; correlated electron systems; metal–insulator transition; organic conductors; magnetotransport properties; quasi-one-dimensional cuprates; metallic glasses; half-metallic Heusler alloys; manganites
Interests: condensed matter physics; correlated electron systems; metal–insulator transition; spin and charge density waves; high-temperature superconductivity; quantum critical phenomena; magnetotransport properties; thermodynamic properties; organic conductors; manganites; cuprates; iron chalcogenides
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Metal–insulator transitions (MITs) are one of the most important phenomena in condensed-matter physics. They connect two opposite boundaries: the metallic, where elementary excitations are single particles of a fermionic nature, and insulating, where elementary excitations are collective of a bosonic nature. Near the transition, both types of excitations coexist, which greatly complicates the problem from the theoretical side; thus, it is not surprising that its understanding is still incomplete, even after over 70 years of intensive research. There are various mechanisms that drive MITs through the localization of conducting electrons, most common ones being the Mott–Hubbard (caused by an electron–electron correlation), Anderson (caused by a disorder) and Peierls (caused by electron–phonon interactions) mechanisms. Some novel insights in these phenomena investigated the interplay between different mechanisms, and an especially interesting one is the complex theory of the Mott–Anderson localization, where both electron correlation and disorder cause electron localization. Additionally, interesting is the influence of electron localization on the magnetic degrees of freedom and the connection with spin liquids.
MITs have been observed in a variety of materials, with various exotic insulating ground states, including different charge and spin orderings, density waves, Mott insulators, etc. Additionally, interesting is the conducting side of MITs, where deviations from conventional Fermi liquid are often found. The transition between different states can be driven by a change in temperature, pressure, magnetic field, chemical substitution or doping. One of the most intriguing phenomena is colossal magnetoresistance (CMR), observed in manganites, where resistivity changes by several orders of magnitude with the application of a magnetic field, something which is still not fully understood, but that has been attributed to nanoscale phase separation.
The aim of this Special Issue is to report on novel experimental and theoretical findings regarding MITs and related intriguing phenomena, with the potential possibly of ascertaining numerous novel questions and future directions.
Prof. Dr. Emil Tafra
Dr. Matija Čulo
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Materials is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- metal–insulator transition
- correlated electron systems
- Mott localization
- Anderson localization
- Hubbard model
- hopping conductivity
- transport properties
- dielectric properties
- magnetic properties
- optical properties
- quantum spin liquids
- charge order
- organic conductors
- manganites
- cuprates
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.
