Reversible phase modulation and hydrogen storage in multivalent VO epitaxial thin films

Hydrogen, the smallest and the lightest atomic element, is reversibly incorporated into interstitial sites in vanadium dioxide (VO), a correlated oxide with a 3d electronic configuration, and induces electronic phase modulation. It is widely reported that low hydrogen concentrations stabilize the metallic phase, but the understanding of hydrogen in the high doping regime is limited. Here, we demonstrate that as many as two hydrogen atoms can be incorporated into each VO unit cell, and that hydrogen is reversibly absorbed into, and released from, VO without destroying its lattice framework. This hydrogenation process allows us to elucidate electronic phase modulation of vanadium oxyhydride, demonstrating two-step insulator (VO)-metal (H VO)-insulator (HVO) phase modulation during inter-integer d-band filling. Our finding suggests the possibility of reversible and dynamic control of topotactic phase modulation in VO and opens up the potential application in proton-based Mottronics and novel hydrogen storage.