Superconductivity in Ta3Pd3Te14 with quasi-one-dimensional PdTe2 chains.

Area of Science:

• Condensed Matter Physics
• Materials Science
• Superconductivity

Background:

• Low-dimensional ternary tellurides are a promising class of materials for exploring novel superconducting phenomena.
• The recently discovered superconductor Ta4Pd3Te16 shares structural similarities with the material studied here.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the superconducting properties of the ternary telluride Ta3Pd3Te14.
• To determine the nature of superconductivity (e.g., bulk, coupling strength, and pairing symmetry) in Ta3Pd3Te14.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis and characterization of Ta3Pd3Te14.
• Measurement of electronic heat capacity to identify the superconducting transition.
• Analysis of low-temperature thermal conductivity to probe the superconducting state.

Main Results:

• Bulk superconductivity was observed in Ta3Pd3Te14 at a critical temperature (Tc) of 1.0 K.
• The electronic heat capacity exhibited an anomaly at Tc, confirming bulk superconductivity.
• A specific-heat jump of approximately 1.35 indicated a weak coupling scenario.
• Thermal conductivity measurements suggest Ta3Pd3Te14 is a dirty s-wave superconductor.

Conclusions:

• Ta3Pd3Te14 is a bulk superconductor with weak electron-phonon coupling.
• The lower Tc in Ta3Pd3Te14 compared to Ta4Pd3Te16 may be due to a reduced density of states.
• The material is likely a dirty s-wave superconductor, offering insights into superconductivity in low-dimensional tellurides.