{
  "abstract": "Transition metal complex oxides exhibit a diverse array of emergent physical properties engineered through epitaxial strain. However, the interpretation of strain-driven phenomena is often obscured by structural modifications─particularly under in-plane tension─which can trigger unexpected departures from bulk behavior. Here, we report the observation of \"frozen epitaxial strain\" in complex oxide heterostructures, where epitaxial tensile strain induces a unit-cell volume expansion that remains locked even after complete substrate release. Using synchrotron X-ray diffraction, we quantify this irreversible structural response, demonstrating that the lattice fails to recover its bulk-like dimensions in the freestanding state. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and first-principles calculations reveal that this expansion is stabilized by a high density of tensile strain-promoted oxygen vacancies. These findings establish a fundamental link between epitaxial tension, defect chemistry, and structural \"memory,\" providing critical design rules for the controlled fabrication of functional freestanding membranes and strain-engineered oxide electronics.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin53706, United States.",
    "Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin53706, United States.",
    "Department of Physics, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, Rapid City, South Dakota57701, United States.",
    "X-ray Science Division, Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, Illinois60439, United States."
  ],
  "article_type": "research article",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 14,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Paul Lenharth"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Yuchuan Yao"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Shihao Tu"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Pratap Pal"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Varun Nitin Mapara",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-7183-836X"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Ruiqi Sun"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Wuzhang Fang",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-2873-0120"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Peyton Burden"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2
      ],
      "name": "Tula R Paudel",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-9952-9435"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Jason Kawasaki",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-1056-4777"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Uwe Bergmann",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-5639-166X"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        3
      ],
      "name": "Hua Zhou",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-9642-8674"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Yuan Ping",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-0123-3389"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Chang-Beom Eom",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-8854-1439"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/5x6nc5g091he6.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1021/acsnano.6c08965",
  "fulltext_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13689926",
  "id": "5x6nc5g091he6",
  "issns": [
    "1936-0851",
    "1936-086X"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42899757",
  "language": "eng",
  "licence": "CC-BY",
  "licence_label": "CC BY",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "2505|Electronic and Structural Properties of Oxides"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7220389188",
  "pdf_url": "https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13689926?pdf=render",
  "pmcid": "PMC13689926",
  "pmid": "42899757",
  "published": "2026-10-01",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/5x6nc5g091he6.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:19:37Z",
      "native_id": "MED:42899757",
      "source": "europepmc",
      "url": "https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42899757"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "chemistry",
      "origin": "openalex:2505|Electronic and Structural Properties of Oxides",
      "subfield": "materials-polymers"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Frozen Epitaxial Strain in Complex Oxide Freestanding Membranes.",
  "title_text": "Frozen Epitaxial Strain in Complex Oxide Freestanding Membranes.",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:19:37Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/5x6nc5g091he6",
  "venue": "ACS nano",
  "versions": []
}