(1) Close-to-Atomic Scale Magnetron Sputtering Epitaxy; 

(2) Single-Crystalline Plasmonic Films/Metamaterials and Their Nanophotonic Applications

(1) Zhang, R.*; Lin, T.; Peng, S.; Bi, J.; Zhang, S.; Su, G.; Sun, J.; Gao, J.; Cao, H.; Zhang, Q.*; Gu, L.; Cao, Y.* Flexible but Refractory Single-Crystalline Hyperbolic Metamaterials. Nano Lett. 2023, 23 (9), 3879-3886.
(2) Zhang, R.; Li, X.; Meng, F.; Bi, J.; Zhang, S.; Peng, S.; Sun, J.; Wang, X.; Wu, L.; Duan, J.; Cao, H.; Zhang, Q.*; Gu, L.; Huang, L.-F.*; Cao, Y.* Wafer-Scale Epitaxy of Flexible Nitride Films with Superior Plasmonic and Superconducting Performance. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 2021, 13 (50), 60182-60191.
(3) Zhang, R.; Ma, Q.-Y.; Liu, H.; Sun, T.-Y.; Bi, J.; Song, Y.; Peng, S.; Liang, L.; Gao, J.; Cao, H.; Huang, L.-F.*; Cao, Y.* Crystal Orientation-Dependent Oxidation of Epitaxial Tin Films with Tunable Plasmonics. ACS Photonics 2021, 8 (3), 847-856.
(4) Zhang, R.; Li, X.; Bi, J.; Zhang, S.; Peng, S.; Song, Y.; Zhang, Q.*; Gu, L.; Duan, J.; Cao, Y.* One-Step Epitaxy of High-Mobility La-Doped Basno3 Films by High-Pressure Magnetron Sputtering. APL Mater. 2021, 9 (6), 061103.
(5) Peng, S.; Zhang, X.; Li, G.; Wang, X.; Su, G.; Bi, J.; Sun, J.; Zhang, T.; Huang, J.; Cao, H.; Tang, M.*; Cao, Y.*; Zhang, R.* One-Step Epitaxy of Transition Metal Nitride Nanopillar Arrays with an Oxidation-Tunable Hyperbolic Dispersion. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 2025, 17 (2), 3733-3741.
(6) Su, G.; Ga, Y.; Zhang, R.*; Cheng, S.-D.; Lu, L.; Zhang, J.; Sun, J.; Wang, X.; Cao, H.; Mi, S.-B.; Yang, H.*; Cao, Y.* Uncovering Optical, Magnetic, and Electrical Properties of Epitaxial Nitrogen-Doped Lithium Ferrite Films. Appl. Surf. Sci. 2024, 657, 159822.
(7) Peng, S.; Li, G.; Bi, J.; Liu, C.; Tang, M.; Zhang, R.*; Cao, Y.* Effect of Large Lattice Mismatch on Superconductivity and Plasmonic Properties of Epitaxial Nbtin Films. ACS Applied Electronic Materials 2024, 6 (4), 2544-2551.
(8) Wang, X.; Peng, S.; Chen, W.; Cheng, S.-D.; Zhang, S.; Sun, J.; Cao, H.; Zhang, R.*; Cao, Y.* Plasmonic Hyperbolic Dispersion in Epitaxial Rock Salt/Wurtzite Superlattices. ACS Applied Electronic Materials 2024, 6 (10), 7187-7194.
(9) Bi, J.; Zhang, R.; Peng, S.; Sun, J.; Wang, X.; Chen, W.; Wu, L.; Gao, J.; Cao, H.; Cao, Y. Robust Plasmonic Properties of Epitaxial Tin Films on Highly Lattice-Mismatched Complex Oxides. Phys. Rev. Mater. 2021, 5 (7), 075201.
(10) Peng, S.; Zhang, R.; Song, Y.; Pei, Y.; Bi, J.; Feng, J.; Tang, M.; Cao, Y. Tunable Superconductivity of Epitaxial Tin Films through Oxygen Doping. AIP Adv. 2020, 10 (5), 055113.
(11) Zhang, R.; Liu, M.; Lu, L.; Mi, S. B.; Wang, H. Strain-Tunable Magnetic Properties of Epitaxial Lithium Ferrite Thin Film on Mgal2o4 Substrates. J. Mater. Chem. C 2015, 3 (21), 5598-5602.
(12) Zhang, R.; Liu, M.; Lu, L.; Mi, S.-B.; Wang, H. Ultra-Low Temperature Epitaxial Growth of Lithium Ferrite Thin Films by High-Pressure Sputtering. CrystEngComm 2015, 17 (43), 8256-8263.
(13) Zhang, R.; Liu, M.; Lu, L.; Mi, S. B.; Jia, C. L.; Wang, H. High-Performance Cufe2o4 Epitaxial Thin Films with Enhanced Ferromagnetic Resonance Properties. RSC Adv. 2016, 6 (102).
(14) Zhang, R.; Yuan, Q.; Ma, R.; Liu, X.; Gao, C.; Liu, M.; Jia, C.-L.; Wang, H. Tuning Conductivity and Magnetism of Cufe2o4 Via Cation Redistribution. RSC Adv. 2017, 7 (35), 21926-21932.
(15) Zhang, R.; Liu, M.; Liu, W.; Wang, H. Highly Conductive N-Type Nico2o4-Δ Epitaxial Thin Films Grown by Rf Sputtering. Mater. Lett. 2017, 199, 164-167.
(16) Zhang, R.-Y.; Li, L.; Li, J.; Li, N.; Wu, Z.-K.; Liu, H.; Wang, Z.-G.; Zheng, H.-B.; Zhang, Y.-P.; Ltd, C. P. S. a. I. P. Seven Odd-Order Multi-Wave Mixing Spectra in a Five-Level Atomic System. Chin. Phys. Lett. 2011, 28 (10), 104215.
(17) Bi, J.; Lin, Y.; Zhang, Q.; Liu, Z.; Zhang, Z.; Zhang, R.; Yao, X.; Chen, G.; Liu, H.; Huang, Y.; Sun, Y.; Zhang, H.; Sun, Z.; Xiao, S.; Cao, Y. Momentum-Resolved Electronic Structures and Strong Electronic Correlations in Graphene-Like Nitride Superconductors. Nano Lett. 2024, 24 (24), 7451-7457.
(18) Lu, L.; Liu, K.; Zhang, R.; Cheng, S.-D.; Mi, S.-B. Epitaxial Growth and Interface of (111)-Oriented Spinel Li0.5fe2.5o4 Film on Srtio3(001) Substrate. Mater. Lett. 2023, 351, 135037.
(19) Peiyi Li, J. B., Shunda Zhang, Rui Cai, Guanhua Su, Fugang Qi, Ruyi Zhang, Zhiyang Wei,; Cao, Y. Transformation of Hexagonal Lu to Cubic Luh2+X Single-Crystalline Films. Chin. Phys. Lett. 2023, 40 (8), 087401.
(20) Zhang, S.; Bi, J.; Zhang, R.; Li, P.; Qi, F.; Wei, Z.; Cao, Y. Electronic and Magnetic Properties of Lu and Luh2. AIP Adv. 2023, 13 (6), 065117.
(21) Bi, J.; Pei, Y.; Zhang, R.; Peng, S.; Wang, X.; Sun, J.; Feng, J.; Yang, J.; Cao, Y. Coherent Epitaxy of Trilayer Nickelate (Nd0.8sr0.2)4ni3o10 Films by High-Pressure Magnetron Sputtering. AIP Adv. 2021, 11 (10), 105107.
(22) Xiao, S.; Wen, F.; Liu, X.; Kareev, M.; Zhang, R.; Song, Y.; Pei, Y.; Bi, J.; He, S.; Lu, J.; Cao, Y.; Chakhalian, J. Metallic Interfaces in a Catio3/Latio3 Superlattice. Phys. Rev. Mater. 2020, 4 (10), 104008.
(23) Song, Y.; Liu, X.; Wen, F.; Kareev, M.; Zhang, R.; Pei, Y.; Bi, J.; Shafer, P.; N'Diaye, A. T.; Arenholz, E.; Park, S. Y.; Cao, Y.; Chakhalian, J. Unconventional Crystal-Field Splitting in Noncentrosymmetric Batio3 Thin Films. Phys. Rev. Mater. 2020, 4 (2), 024413.
(24) Liu, K.; Zhang, R.; Lu, L.; Mi, S.; Liu, M.; Wang, H.; Wu, S.; Jia, C. Atomic-Scale Investigation of Spinel Life5o8 Thin Films on Srtio3 (001) Substrates. J. Mater. Sci. Technol. 2020, 40, 31-38.
(25) Pei, Y.; Liu, X.; Wen, F.; Kareev, M.; Zhang, R.; Song, Y.; Bi, J.; Cao, Y.; Chakhalian, J. Probing Emergent Excitations with Middle-Energy Electron Energy Loss Spectroscopy. Europhys. Lett. 2019, 128 (5), 57001.
(26) Fan, W.; Song, Y.; Bi, J.; Pei, Y.; Zhang, R.; Cao, Y. Evolution of Element-Specific Electronic Structures in Alkaline Titanates. AIP Adv. 2019, 9 (6), 065213.
(27) Pei, Y.; Zhang, R.; Song, Y.; Bi, J.; Xu, W.; Zhou, C.; Duan, J.; Yang, J.; Cao, Y. Emergent Magnetic Phase Transitions in Fe-Doped Srtio3−Δ. AIP Adv. 2019, 9 (12), 125302.
(28) Liu, K.; Zhang, R.; Lu, L.; Mi, S.-B.; Liu, M.; Wang, H.; Jia, C.-L. Formation of Antiphase Boundaries in Cufe2o4 Films Induced by Rough Mgal2o4 (001) Substrates. Thin Solid Films 2019, 680, 55-59.
(29) Liu, W.; Liu, M.; Ma, R.; Zhang, R.; Zhang, W.; Yu, D.; Wang, Q.; Wang, J.; Wang, H. Mechanical Strain-Tunable Microwave Magnetism in Flexible Cufe2o4 Epitaxial Thin Film for Wearable Sensors. Adv. Funct. Mater. 2018, 28 (10), 1705928.
(30) Liu, W.; Liu, M.; Cheng, S.; Zhang, R.; Ma, R.; Wang, H. Effect of Thickness-Dependent Crystal Mosaicity and Chemical Defect on Electric Properties in Yttrium-Stabilized Epitaxial Hfo2 Thin Films. Appl. Phys. Lett. 2017, 110 (12), 122904.
(31) Liu, W.; Liu, M.; Zhang, R.; Ma, R.; Wang, H. Thickness-Modulated Anisotropic Ferromagnetism in Fe-Doped Epitaxial Hfo2 Thin Films. Appl. Phys. Lett. 2017, 111 (17), 172404.
(32) Mi, S.-B.; Zhang, R.-Y.; Lu, L.; Liu, M.; Wang, H.; Jia, C.-L. Atomic-Scale Structure and Formation of Antiphase Boundaries in Α-Li0.5fe2.5o4 Thin Films on Mgal2o4(001) Substrates. Acta Mater. 2017, 127, 178-184.
(33) Liu, M.; Ren, S. P.; Zhang, R. Y.; Xue, Z. Y.; Ma, C. R.; Yin, M. L.; Xu, X.; Bao, S. Y.; Chen, C. L. Gas Sensing Properties of Epitaxial Labaco2o5.5+Δ Thin Films. Sci. Rep. 2015, 5 (1), 10784.