Anomalous Behavior of the Ni¹⁺ moment and interstitial band in bi-infinite-layered La₃Ni₂O₅F
This study employs first-principles density functional theory (GGA and GGA+U) to investigate the electronic and magnetic properties of La3Ni2O5F, which features a bilayer NiO2 infinite-layer structure where La(O/F)La blocking layers achieve strict isolation of the NiO2 bilayers, forming a purely two-dimensional electronic and magnetic system. Calculations reveal an E* single band composed of electron density in the interstitial region, which is not associated with any atomic orbital, dips below the Fermi level along the M-A direction, and provides a self-doping of 0.09 holes per Ni, resulting in an actual Ni valence of +1.09; the Fermi surface of this E* band is cylindrical, occupying 9% of the Brillouin zone area. The dpσ band is nearly half-filled but is shifted near a Van Hove singularity due to the self-doping, and the magnetic response exhibits anomalous characteristics distinct from previous nickelates, with the magnetic susceptibility tending to vanish under a large magnetic field. The absence of a magnetic phase transition can be attributed to strong two-dimensional spin fluctuations and the self-doping effect away from half-filling, revealing the unique behavior of Ni¹⁺ ions in this system and the critical influence of the interfacial blocking layer on the interstitial band morphology.