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Superconductivity in the Narrow Gap Semiconductor RbBi11/3Te6
Christos D Malliakas1, Duck Young Chung1, Helmut Claus1
1Materials Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory , Argonne, Illinois 60439, United States.
Journal of the American Chemical Society
|October 18, 2016
Summary
Researchers discovered superconductivity in RbBi11/3Te6, a new layered material with a narrow band gap. Chemical tuning increased its critical temperature (Tc) up to 10%, opening avenues for novel superconductor development.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Solid State Chemistry
Background:
- Superconductivity is a quantum mechanical phenomenon where a material exhibits zero electrical resistance below a critical temperature.
- Layered materials offer unique electronic properties due to their anisotropic structures.
- Discovering new superconducting compounds is crucial for advancing technologies like energy transmission and magnetic levitation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To discover and characterize superconductivity in the novel layered compound RbBi11/3Te6.
- To investigate the effects of chemical substitution on the superconducting properties of this new material system.
- To establish the homologous series and explore its potential for new superconductor development.
Main Methods:
- Synthesis of polycrystalline ingots and oriented single crystals of RbBi11/3Te6.
- Characterization of structural and electronic properties, including band gap measurement.
- Systematic substitution of Se and Sb to create RbBi11/3-ySbySexTe6-x.
- Measurement of superconducting transition temperature (Tc) and superconducting volume fraction.
Main Results:
- Superconductivity was discovered in RbBi11/3Te6 with a sharp transition at ~3.2 K.
- The material exhibits bulk superconductivity, confirmed by a near 100% superconducting volume fraction in single crystals.
- Chemical substitutions (Se and Sb) demonstrated tunability of the superconducting transition, increasing Tc up to ~10%.
- RbBi11/3Te6 represents the first member of a new homologous series Rb[Bi2n+11/3Te3n+6] with infinite Bi2Te3-like layers.
Conclusions:
- RbBi11/3Te6 is a novel bulk superconductor belonging to a new homologous series.
- The electronic structure is chemically tunable via doping and substitution, offering a new family of superconductors.
- This discovery provides a new platform for exploring and engineering superconducting materials with tailored properties.
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