  We report here a discovery of electrically driven insulator to metal
transition (IMT) and concomitant isostructural volume expansion in the layered
cobaltates which otherwise do not exhibit temperature dependent IMT. These
findings are demonstrated at macroscopic, microscopic and atomic scales. With
application of voltage growth of metallic regions have been observed in the 2D
layered La2-xSrxCoO4. Growth of metallic regions is associated with volume
increase (strain as high as 0.3%). Non thermal IMT and electro-strain are
proposed to be caused by electro-proliferation of the Co3+ high spin states.
