Near-Field Nanoimaging of Phases and Carrier Dynamics in Vanadium Dioxide Nanobeams

The stable coexistence of insulating and metallic phases in strained vanadium dioxide (VO₂) has garnered significant research interest due to the intriguing phase transition phenomena. However, the temporal behavior of charge carriers in different phases of VO₂ remains elusive. Herein, we employ near-field optical nanoscopy to capture nanoscale alternating phase domains in bent VO₂ nanobeams. By conducting transient measurements across the different phases, we observed a prolonged carrier recombination lifetime in the metallic phase of VO₂, accompanied by an accelerated diffusion process. Our findings reveal nanoscale carrier dynamics in VO₂ nanobeams, offering insights that can facilitate further investigations into phase-change materials and their potential applications in sensing and microelectromechanical devices.