Selectively modulating the sublattices in 3D transition metal oxides via strains could tailor the electronic configurations with emerging anomalous properties, which provides new platforms for fundamental researches as well as designs of devices. Here, we report tailoring the oxygen octahedral sublattices in vanadium dioxide (VO₂) thin films by anisotropic in-plane strains, and the observation of in-plane orientation-dependent metal–insulator transition. Through multimodal characterizations based on high-resolution X-ray diffraction, electrical transport measurements, and polarization-dependent X-ray absorption spectroscopy at different temperatures, we demonstrate that nonequal strains were successfully induced along A and B oxygen octahedral chains in VO₂ films via a special design of epitaxial growth on vicinal substrates. The V 3d¹ orbital configurations are modulated in the two oxygen octahedral chains, resulting in in-plane orientation-dependent metal–insulator transition behaviors such as reduced hysteresis width and anisotropic phase transition temperature. This work provides new fundamental insights on metal–insulator transitions, and more importantly, opens up new opportunities for material and device developments

通过应变选择性地调制3D过渡金属氧化物中的亚晶格可以定制具有新兴异常特性的电子结构，这为基础研究和设备设计提供了新的平台。在这里，我们报告了通过各向异性的平面内应变以及观察面内取向相关的金属-绝缘体转变来定制二氧化钒（VO ₂）薄膜中的氧八面体亚晶格。通过基于高分辨率X射线衍射，电迁移测量和偏振相关的X射线吸收光谱在不同温度下的多峰表征，我们证明在VO _2中沿A和B氧八面体链成功诱导了不等应变通过在邻近衬底上外延生长的特殊设计来制作薄膜。V 3 d ^1的轨道构型在两条氧八面体链中被调制，从而导致面内取向相关的金属-绝缘体过渡行为，例如减小的磁滞宽度和各向异性相变温度。这项工作为金属-绝缘体的转变提供了新的基本见解，更重要的是，为材料和器件的开发提供了新的机会。