The interplay between superconductivity and charge density wave (CDW)/metal-to-insulator transition (MIT) has long been interested and studied in condensed matter physics. Here we study systematically the charge density wave and superconductivity properties in the solid solutions Zn1-xCuxIr2-yN(N = Al, Ti, Rh)yTe4. Resistivity, magnetic susceptibility and specific heat measurements indicate that the CDW state was suppressed immediately while the superconducting critical temperature (Tc) differs from each system. In the Al- and Ti-substitution cases, Tc increase as y increases and reaches a maximum around 2.75 K and 2.84 K respectively at y = 0.075, followed by a decrease of Tc before the chemical phase boundary is reached at y = 0.2. Nevertheless, Tc decreases monotonously with Rh-doping content y increases and disappears above 0.3 with measuring temperature down to 2 K. Surprisingly, in the Zn1-xCuxIr2Te4 solid solution, Tc enhances as x increases and reaches a maximum value of 2.82 K for x = 0.5 but subsequently survives over the whole doping range of 0.00 - 0.9 despite Tc changes slightly with higher doping content, which differs from the observation of zinc doping suppressing the superconductivity quickly in the high Tc cuprate superconductors. The specific heat anomaly at the superconducting transitions for the representative optimal doping samples are all slightly higher than the BCS value of 1.43 and indicate bulk superconductivity in these compounds. Finally, the CDW transition temperature (TCDW) and superconducting transition temperature (Tc) vs. x/y content phase diagrams of Zn1-xCuxIr2-yN(N = Al, Ti, Rh)yTe4 have been established and compared, which offers good opportunity to study the competition between CDW and superconductivity in the telluride chalcogenides.
Here we report the first observation of superconductivity in the AB2X4-type ternary telluride CuIr2Te4, which is synthesized by a solid-state method in an evacuated quartz jacket. It adopts a disordered trigonal structure with space group P3m1 (No. 164), which embodies a two-dimensional IrTe2 layers and intercalated by Cu between the layers. We use a combination of experimental and first principles calculation analysis to look insight into the structural and physical properties. CuIr2Te4 consistently exhibited a bulk superconductivity transition at 2.5 K in electrical resistivity, magnetic sus…
The relationship between charge-density-wave (CDW) and superconductivity (SC), two vital physical phases in condensed matter physics, has always been the focus of scientists' research over the past decades. Motivated by this research hotspot, we systematically studied the physical properties of the layered telluride chalcogenide superconductors CuIr2-xAlxTe4. Through the resistance and magnetization measurements, we found that the CDW order was destroyed by a small amount of Al doping. Meanwhile, the superconducting transition temperature (Tc) kept changing with the change of doping amount and…
We investigated the evolution of the temperature-composition phase diagram of Fe$_{1+y}$Te upon Se substitution. In particular, the effect of Se substitution on the two-step, coupled magneto-structural transition in Fe$_{1+y}$Te single crystals is investigated. To this end, the nominal Fe excess was kept at $y$ = 0.12. For low Se concentrations, the two magneto-structural transitions displayed a tendency to merge. In spite of the high Fe-content, superconductivity emerges for Se concentrations, $x \geq$ 0.1. We present a temperature-composition phase diagram to demonstrate the interplay of str…
Here we report the effect of structural and superconductivity properties on Ru doped CuIr2Te4 telluride chalcogenide. XRD results suggest that the CuIr2-xRuxTe4 maintain the disordered trigonal structure with space group P3m1 (No. 164) for x less than 0.3. The lattice constants, a and c, both decrease with increasing Ru content. Temperature-dependent resistivity, magnetic susceptibility and specific-heat measurements are performed to characterize the superconducting properties systematically. Our results suggest that the optimal doping level for superconductivity in CuIr2-xRuxTe4 is x = 0.05, …
We have synthesized tetragonal iron selenide and telluride superconductors through solid state reaction at 450deg.C and 550deg.C respectively. These synthesis temperatures have been established by optimization. Electrical resistivity and magnetic susceptibility measurements (4.2-300 K) confirm superconductivity with Tc of around 8.5 K in all selenide samples of nominal composition Fe1+deltaSe (delta=0.02-0.22). However, Scanning Electron Microscopy/ Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy studies clearly indicate that the actual stoichiometric ratio of Fe : Se for all the samples synthesized is around …
We report an unusual persistence of superconductivity against high magnetic fields in the iron chalcogenide film FeTe:O$_{x}$ below ~ 2.5 K. Instead of saturating like a mean-field behavior with a single order parameter, the measured low-temperature upper critical field increases progressively, suggesting a large supply of superconducting states accessible via magnetic field or low-energy thermal fluctuations. We demonstrate that superconducting states of finite momenta can be realized within the conventional theory, despite its questionable applicability. Our findings reveal a fundamental cha…
We report superconductivity induced in films of the non-superconducting, antiferromagnetic parent material FeTe by low temperature oxygen incorporation in a reversible manner. X-ray absorption shows that oxygen doping changes the nominal Fe valence state from 2+ in the non-superconducting state to mainly 3+ in the superconducting state. Thus superconductivity in O doped FeTe occurs in a quite different charge and strain state than the more common FeTe$_{1-x}$Se$_x$. This work also suggests a convenient path for conducting doping experiments in-situ with many measurement techniques.
The superconducting order parameter in the iron-chalcogenide superconductor FeTe$_{0.55}$Se$_{0.45}$ ($T_\textrm{c}$ = 14.2 K) is investigated by point-contact Andreev reflection spectroscopy. The energy gap magnitude (3.8 meV at 1.70 K) and temperature dependence as extracted from the Andreev conductance spectra reveal strong-coupling superconductivity and is consistent with $s$-wave order parameter symmetry. No clear evidence for multiple order parameters or interference from multiple bands is observed. A conductance enhancement persists above $T_\textrm{c}$ to $\sim 18-20$ K and possible or…
We have investigated the Se isotope effect in layered bismuth chalcogenide (BiCh2-based) superconductor LaO0.6F0.4Bi(S,Se)2 with 76Se and 80Se. For all examined samples, the Se concentration, which is linked to the superconducting properties, is successfully controlled within x = 1.09-1.14 in LaO0.6F0.4BiS2-xSex. From the magnetization and electrical resistivity measurements, changes in Tc are not observed for the LaO0.6F0.4Bi(S,Se)2 samples with 76Se and 80Se isotopes. Our results suggest that pairing in the BiCh2-based superconductors is not mediated by phonons, and unconventional supercondu…
A polycrystalline sample of the high-entropy-alloy-type telluride AgInSnPbBiTe5 was synthesized using high-pressure synthesis. Superconductivity with a transition temperature (Tc) of 2.6 K was observed in AgInSnPbBiTe5. Elemental and structural analyses revealed that five metals are mixed in a metal site of an NaCl-type structure. Since AgInSnPbBiTe5 has a cation site (Ag, In, Sn, Pb, and Bi) and an anion site (Te), this is the first example of a high-entropy-alloy (HEA) pseudo-binary superconductor.
We have performed high-resolution angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy of iron-chalcogenide superconductor Fe1.03Te0.7Se0.3 (Tc = 13 K) to investigate the electronic structure relevant to superconductivity. We observed a hole- and an electron-like Fermi surfaces at the Brillouin zone center and corner, respectively, which are nearly nested by the Q~(pi, pi) wave vector. We do not find evidence for the nesting instability with Q~(pi+delta, 0) reminiscent of the antiferromagnetic order in the parent compound Fe1+yTe. We have observed an isotropic superconducting gap along the hole-like Ferm…
The influence of tensile strain in the ab-plane on crystal and electronic structure of FeTe has been studied ab initio. In superconducting FeSe the Fermi surface nesting with a vector q~(0.5,0.5)(2π/a) is believed to be crucial for rising superconductivity mediated by spin-fluctuations. The results presented here indicate that tensile-strained FeTe also exhibits such conditions. Furthermore, the Fermi surface changes, related to the increase of the lattice parameter a of this telluride, are opposite to analogous effects reported for FeSe. Since a recently reported transition from the double-st…
We report the synthesis and superconducting properties of a new transition-metal chalcogenide Ta$_2$PdSe$_5$. The measurements of resistivity, magnetization, and specific heat reveal that Ta$_2$PdSe$_5$ is a bulk superconductor with $T_c$ $\simeq$ 2.5 K. The zero-field electronic specific heat in the superconducting state can be fitted with a two-gap BCS model. The upper critical field $H_{c2}$ shows a linear temperature dependence, and the value of $H_{c2}$(0) is much higher than the estimated Pauli limiting field $H_{c2}^{P}$ and orbital limiting field $H_{c2}^{orb}$. All these results of sp…
Undoped iron superconductors accommodate $n=6$ electrons in five d-orbitals. Experimental and theoretical evidence shows that the strength of correlations increases with hole-doping, as the electronic filling approaches half-filling with $n=5$ electrons. This evidence delineates a scenario in which the parent compound of iron superconductors is the half-filled system, in analogy to cuprate superconductors. In cuprates the superconductivity can be induced upon electron or hole doping. In this work we propose to search for high-Tc superconductivity and strong correlations in chromium pnictides a…
Results of resistivity, Hall effect, magnetoresistance, susceptibility and heat capacity measurements are presented for single crystals of indium-doped tin telluride with compositions Sn$_{.988-x}$In$_x$Te where $0 \leq x \leq 8.4 %$, along with microstructural analysis based on transmission electron microscopy. For small indium concentrations, $x \leq 0.9 %$ the material does not superconduct above 0.3 K, and the transport properties are consistent with simple metallic behavior. For $x \geq 2.7 %$ the material exhibits anomalous low temperature scattering and for $x \geq 6.1 %$ bulk supercond…
By realizing in thin films a tensile stress state, superconductivity of 13 K was introduced into FeTe, an non-superconducting parent compound of the iron pnictides and chalcogenides, with transition temperature higher than that of its superconducting isostructural counterpart FeSe. For these tensile stressed films, the superconductivity is accompanied by the softening of the first-order magnetic and structural phase transition; and also, the in-plane extension and out-of-plane contraction are universal in all FeTe films independent of sign of lattice mismatch, either positive or negative. More…
PbO-type Fe chalcogenide has been drawing much attention as the Fe-based superconductor with the most simple crystal structure. Whereas FeSe is an intrinsic superconductor, FeTe, while having a structure analogous to FeSe, exhibits antiferromagnetic ordering. The relationship between antiferromagnetism and superconductivity provides key information to understand better superconductivity in Fe chalcogenides. Furthermore the significant pressure effect on Tc in the Fe-chalcogenide superconductors, which is likely to be correlated with the crystal structure and/or magnetism, is important in eluci…
The present article reviews recent experimental investigations of spin dynamics in iron-based superconductors and their parent compounds by means of inelastic neutron scattering. It mainly focuses on the most contemporary developments in this field, pertaining to the observations of magnetic resonant modes in new superconductors, spin anisotropy of low-energy magnetic fluctuations that has now been observed in a wide range of chemical compositions and doping levels, as well as their momentum-space anisotropy incurred by the spin-nematic order. The implications of these new findings for our und…
We discovered a novel annealing method for Fe-chalcogenide superconductors. It was found that sulfur annealing deintercalated excess Fe via formation of FeS2. Due to its specifics, sulfur annealing is applicable when preparing Fe-chalcogenide-based wires or cables.
We report on the local electronic structure of oxygen incorporated FeTe and FeSe films and how this relates to superconductivity observed in these films. In the case of FeTe, intially grown films are measured to be non-superconducting, but become superconducting following oxygen incorporation. In FeSe the opposite happens, initially grown films are measured to be superconducting, but experience a quenching of superconductivity following oxygen incorporation. Total Fluorescence Yield (TFY) X-ray absorption experiments show that oxygen incorporation changes the initial Fe valence state in both t…
Low-temperature thermal conductivity measurements were performed on single crystals of TlNi$_2$Se$_2$, a nickel-chalcogenide heavy-electron superconductor with $T_c$ $\simeq$ 3.7 K. In zero field, the residual electronic contribution at $T$ $\rightarrow$ 0 K ($κ_0/T$) was well separated from the total thermal conductivity, which is less than 0.45\% of its normal-state value. Such a tiny residual $κ_0/T$ is unlikely contributed by the nodal quasiparticles. Nodeless gap structure is supported by the very weak field dependence of $κ_0(H)/T$ in low magnetic fields. In the whole field range, $κ_0(H…
Layered transition-metal chalcogenides (Zr,Hf)GeTe$_{4}$ were screened out from database of Atomwork as a candidate for pressure-induced superconductivity due to their narrow band gap and high density of state near the Fermi level. The (Zr,Hf)GeTe$_{4}$ samples were synthesized in single crystal and then the compositional ratio, crystal structures, and valence states were investigated via energy dispersive spectrometry, single crystal X-ray diffraction, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, respectively. The pressure-induced superconductivity in both crystals were first time reported by using …
A possible superconducting gap signature with filling temperature around 40 K in hexagonal iron telluride islands
Peking University（北京大学）；ShanghaiTech University（上海科技大学）；Quantum Science Center of Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area (Guangdong)（粤港澳大湾区量子科学中心（广东））；Beijing Academy of Quantum Information Sciences（北京量子信息科学研究院）；Collaborative Innovation Center of Quantum Matter（量子物质协同创新中心）；Hefei National Laboratory（合肥国家实验室）
The ground state of K$_{0.8+x}$Fe$_{1.6+y}$Se$_2$ and other iron-based selenide superconductors are doped antiferromagnetic semiconductors. There are well defined iron local moments whose energies are separated from those of conduction electrons by a large band gap in these materials. We propose that the low energy physics of this system is governed by a model Hamiltonian of interacting electrons with on-site ferromagnetic exchange interactions and inter-site superexchange interactions. We have derived the effective pairing potential of electrons under the linear spin-wave approximation and sh…
Superconductivity develops in metals upon the formation of a coherent macroscopic quantum state of electron pairs. Iron pnictides and chalcogenides are materials that have high superconducting transition temperatures. In this Review, we describe the advances in the field that have led to higher superconducting transition temperatures in iron-based superconductors and the wide range of materials that form them. We summarize both the essential aspects of the normal state and the mechanism for superconductivity. We emphasize the degree of electron-electron correlations and their manifestation in …
We report superconductivity in defective pyrite-type iridium chalcogenides IrxCh2. Maximum values of Tc of 6.4 K for Ir0.91Se2 and 4.7 K for Ir0.93Te2 were observed. It was found that Ir0.75Ch2 is close to the boundary between metallic and insulating states and IrxCh2 systems undergo nonmetal to metal transitions as x increases. On the basis of density functional theory calculations and the observed large variation in the Ch-Ch distance with x, we suggest that Ir0.75Ch2 is the parent compound for the present superconductors.
We present the first direct evidence for two-band superconductivity in the quasi-one dimensional chalcogenide Nb$_{2}$Pd$_{0.81}$S$_{5}$. Soft point contact spectroscopic measurements reveal Andreev reflection in the differential conductance $G$ in the zero-resistance superconducting (SC) state below $T_c$(=6.6~K). Multiple peaks in $G$ were clearly observed at 1.8~K and were successfully explained by the two-band Blonder-Tinkham-Klapwijk model with two gaps $Δ_{1}=0.48$~meV and $Δ_{2}=1.05$~meV. Their evolution in temperature and magnetic field is consistent with the conventional BCS theory. …
In this review, we present a summary of the results on single crystal growth of two types of iron-chalcogenide superconductors, Fe(1+y)Te(1-x)Se(x) (11), and A(x)Fe(2-y)Se(2) (A= K, Rb, Cs, Tl, Tl/K, Tl/Rb), using Bridgman, zone-melting, vapor self-transport, and flux techniques. The superconducting and magnetic properties (the latter gained mainly from neutron scattering measurements) of these materials are reviewed to demonstrate the connection between magnetism and superconductivity. It will be shown that for the 11 system, while static magnetic order around the reciprocal lattice position …
Pressure plays an essential role in the induction1 and control2,3 of superconductivity in iron-based superconductors. Substitution of a smaller rare-earth ion for the bigger one to simulate the pressure effects has surprisingly raised the superconducting transition temperature Tc to the record high 55 K in these materials4,5. However, Tc always goes down after passing through a maximum at some pressure and the superconductivity eventually tends to disappear at sufficiently high pressures1-3. Here we show that the superconductivity can reemerge with a much higher Tc after its destruction upon c…
High-entropy-alloy-type (HEA-type) compound superconductors have been drawing much attention as a new class of exotic superconductors with local structural inhomogeneity. NaCl-type (Ag,In,Sn,Pb,Bi)Te is a typical HEA-type superconductor, but the carrier doping mechanism had been unclear. In this study, we synthesized (Ag,In,Sn,Pb,Bi)Te with various In concentration using high-pressure synthesis: the studied system is (AgSnPbBi)(1-x)/4InxTe (x = 0-0.4). Single-phase samples were obtained for x = 0-0.3. A semiconductor-like temperature dependence of resistivity was observed for x = 0, while supe…
High-entropy-alloy (HEA) superconductors are a new class of disordered superconductors. In this study, we investigate the robustness of superconducting states in HEA-type metal telluride (MTe; M = Ag, In, Sn, Pb, Bi) under high pressure. PbTe exhibits a structural transition from a NaCl-type to an orthorhombic Pnma structure at low pressures, and further transitions to a CsCl-type structure at high pressures. When the superconductivity of the CsCl-type PbTe is observed, it is found that its superconducting transition temperature (Tc) decreases with pressure. However, in the HEA-type AgInSnPbBi…
The response of the worldwide scientific community to the discovery in 2008 of superconductivity at Tc = 26 K in the Fe-based compound LaFeAsO_{1-x}F_x has been very enthusiastic. In short order, other Fe-based superconductors with the same or related crystal structures were discovered with Tc up to 56 K. Many experiments were carried out and theories formulated to try to understand the basic properties of these new materials and the mechanism for Tc. In this selective critical review of the experimental literature, we distill some of this extensive body of work, and discuss relationships betw…
We present the results of a study of the vortex lattice (VL) of the nickel chalcogenide superconductor TlNi2Se2, using small angle neutron scattering. This superconductor has the same crystal symmetry as the iron arsenide materials. Previous work points to it being a two-gap superconductor, with an unknown pairing mechanism. No structural transitions in the vortex lattice are seen in the phase diagram, arguing against d-wave gap symmetry. Empirical fits of the temperature-dependence of the form factor and penetration depth rule out a simple s-wave model, supporting the presence of nodes in the…
The interplay between magnetism and superconductivity is one of the dominant themes in the study of unconventional superconductors, such as high-Tc cuprates, iron pnictides and heavy fermions. In such systems, the same d- or f-electrons tend to form magnetically ordered states and participate in building up a high density of states at the Fermi level, which is responsible for the superconductivity. Charge-density-wave (CDW) is another fascinating collective quantum phenomenon in some low dimensional materials, like the prototypical transition-metal poly-chalcogenides, in which CDW instability …
We demonstrate that the differential conductance, $dI/dV$, measured via spectroscopic imaging scanning tunneling microscopy in the doped iron chalcogenide FeSe$_{0.45}$Te$_{0.55}$, possesses a series of characteristic features that allow one to extract the orbital structure of the superconducting gaps. This yields nearly isotropic superconducting gaps on the two hole-like Fermi surfaces, and a strongly anisotropic gap on the electron-like Fermi surface. Moreover, we show that the pinning of nematic fluctuations by defects can give rise to a dumbbell-like spatial structure of the induced impuri…
The level of electronic correlation has been one of the key questions in understanding the nature of superconductivity. Among the iron-based superconductors, the iron chalcogenide family exhibits the strongest electron correlations. To gauge the correlation strength, we performed systematic angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy study on the iron chalcogenide series Fe$_{1+y}$Se$_x$Te$_{1-x}$ (0$<$x$<$0.59), a model system with the simplest structure. Our measurement reveals an incoherent to coherent crossover in the electronic structure as the selenium ratio increases and the system evolve…
The unique electronic and crystal structures driven by external pressure in transition metal chalcogenides (TMCs) can host emergent quantum states. Here we report pressure-induced metallization, nontrivial $Z_2$ band topology and superconductivity in TMC $\mathrm{Ta}_2 \mathrm{Ni}_3 \mathrm{Te}_5$. Our electrical transport measurements show that the metallization emerges at 3.3 GPa, followed by appearance of the superconductivity at $P_{\mathrm{c}}$ = 21.3 GPa with $T_{\mathrm{c}} \sim$ 0.4 K. Room-temperature synchrotron x-ray diffraction experiments demonstrate the stability of the pristine …
Superconductivity in the iron pnictides and chalcogenides arises at the border of antiferromagnetism, which raises the question of the role of quantum criticality. In this topical review, we describe the theoretical work that led to the prediction for a magnetic quantum critical point arising out of a competition between electronic localization and itinerancy, and the proposal for accessing it by using isoelectronic P substitution for As in the undoped iron pnictides. We go on to compile the emerging experimental evidence in support of the existence of such a quantum critical point in isoelect…
Neutron spectroscopy is used to investigate the magnetic fluctuations in Fe_{1+x}Te - a parent compound of chalcogenide superconductors. Incommensurate "stripe-like" excitations soften with increased interstitial iron concentration. The energy crossover from incommensurate to stripy fluctuations defines an apparent hour-glass dispersion. Application of sum rules of neutron scattering find that the integrated intensity is inconsistent with an S=1 Fe^{2+} ground state and significantly less than S=2 predicted from weak crystal field arguments pointing towards the Fe^{2+} being in a superposition…
The ferroelectric degenerate semiconductor Sn$_{1-δ}$Te exhibits superconductivity with critical temperatures, $T_c$, of up to 0.3 K for hole densities of order 10$^{21}$ cm$^{-3}$. When doped on the tin site with greater than $x_c$ $= 1.7(3)%$ indium atoms, however, superconductivity is observed up to 2 K, though the carrier density does not change significantly. We present specific heat data showing that a stronger pairing interaction is present for $x > x_c$ than for $x < x_c$. By examining the effect of In dopant atoms on both $T_c$ and the temperature of the ferroelectric structural phase…
We report the crystal structure, charge-density-wave (CDW), superconductivity (SC), and ferromagnetism (FM) in CuIr2-xCrxTe4 chalcogenides. Powder x-ray diffraction (PXRD) results reveal that CuIr2-xCrxTe4 series are distinguished between two structural types and three different regions: (i) layered trigonal structure region, (ii) mixed phase regions, (iii) spinel structure region. Besides, Cr substitution for Ir site results in rich physical properties including the collapse of CDW, the formation of dome-shaped like SC, and the emergence of magnetism. Cr doping slightly elevates the supercond…
The metal-metal bond in metal-rich chalcogenide is known to exhibit various structures and dominate interesting physical properties. Ta2Se can be obtained by both arc-melting and solid-state pellet methods. Ta2Se crystallizes a layered tetragonal structure with space group P4/nmm (S.G.129, Pearson symbol tP6). Each unit cell consists of four layers of body-centered closed packing Ta atoms sandwiched between two square nets of Se atoms, forming the Se-Ta-Ta-Ta-Ta-Se networks. A combined result of magnetic susceptibility, resistivity, and heat capacity measurements on Ta2Se indicate the bulk sup…
Unconventional superconductivity in the Chevrel phase offers a wide structural aspect to understand the superconducting ground state. A detailed investigation on the superconducting properties of Re based pseudobinary telluride Chevrel phase Mo$_4$Re$_2$Te$_8$ is reported. It crystallizes in a trigonal structure with the space group $R\bar{3}H$ having superconducting transition temperature at $T_C$ = 3.26(3) K. Specific heat measurements suggests a fully gapped superconducting state; however, the proximity of upper critical field value from the Pauli limiting field can be attributed to unconve…
Over the past few years Fe chalcogenides (FeSe/Te) have advanced to the forefront of Fe-based superconductors (FeBS) research. The most intriguing results thus far are for intercalated and monolayer FeSe, however experimental studies are still inconclusive. Yet, bulk FeSe itself remains an unusual case when compared with pnictogen-based FeBS, and may hold clues to understanding the more exotic FeSe-derivatives. The FeSe phase diagram is unlike the pnictides: the orthorhombic distortion, which is likely to be of a "spin-nematic" nature in numerous pnictides, is not accompanied by magnetic order…
The interplay among topology, superconductivity, and magnetism promises to bring a plethora of exotic and unintuitive behaviors in emergent quantum materials. The family of Fe-chalcogenide superconductors FeTexSe1-x are directly relevant in this context due to their intrinsic topological band structure, high-temperature superconductivity, and unconventional pairing symmetry. Despite enormous promise and expectation, the local magnetic properties of FeTexSe1-x remain largely unexplored, which prevents a comprehensive understanding of their underlying material properties. Exploiting nitrogen vac…
Iron-chalcogenide compounds with FeSe(Te, S) layers did not attract much attention until the discovery of high-Tc superconductivity (SC) in the iron-pnictide compounds at the begining of 2008. Compared with FeAs-based superconductors, iron-chalcogenide superconductors have aroused enormous enthusiasm to study the relationship between SC and magnetisms with several distinct features, such as different antiferromagnetic ground states with relatively large moments in the parents, indicating possibly different superconducting mechanisms, the existence of the excess Fe atoms or Fe vacancies in the …
Layered thallium copper chalcogenides can form single, double, or triple layers of Cu-Ch separated by Tl sheets. Here we report on the preparation and properties of Tl-based materials of TlCu2Se2, TlCu4S3, TlCu4Se3 and TlCu6S4, and compare to reports on layered ACu2nChn+1 materials with A = Ba, K, Rb, and Cs, and Ch = S, Se. Having no long-range magnetism for these materials is quite surprising considering the possibilities of inter- and intra-layer exchange interactions through Cu 3d, and we measure by magnetic susceptibility and confirm by neutron diffraction. First principles density-functi…
Interface-Induced Superconductivity in Magnetic Topological Insulator-Iron Chalcogenide Heterostructures
The Pennsylvania State University（宾夕法尼亚州立大学）；Rutgers University（罗格斯大学）；University of Washington（华盛顿大学）；Chinese Academy of Sciences（中国科学院）；Materials Research Institute, The Pennsylvania State University（宾夕法尼亚州立大学材料研究所）；National High Magnetic Field Laboratory（国家高磁场实验室）；Paul Scherrer Institute（保罗谢尔研究所）；National Institute of Standards and Technology（美国国家标准与技术研究院）
Layered transition-metal tellurides have attracted considerable attention because of their rich physics; for example, tungsten ditelluride WTe2 exhibits extremely large magnetoresistance; the tritelluride ZrTe3 shows a charge density wave transition at low temperature; and the pentatelluride ZrTe5 displays an enigmatic resistivity anomaly and large thermoelectric power. Recently some transition-metal tellurides are predicted to be quantum spin Hall insulators (e.g. ZrTe5 and HfTe5) or Weyl semimetals (e.g. WTe2 and MoTe2) and were subjected to intensive investigations. Here, we report on the d…
High-entropy-alloy-type tellurides M-Te, which contain five different metals of M = Ag, In, Cd, Sn, Sb, Pb, and Bi, were synthesized using high pressure synthesis. Structural characterization revealed that all the obtained samples have a cubic NaCl-type structure. Six samples, namely AgCdSnSbPbTe5, AgInSnSbPbTe5, AgCdInSnSbTe5, AgCdSnPbBiTe5, AgCdInPbBiTe5, and AgCdInSnBiTe5 showed superconductivity. The highest transition temperature (Tc) among those samples was 1.4 K for AgInSnSbPbTe5. A sample of AgCdInSbPbTe5 showed a semiconductor-like transport behavior. From the relationship between Tc …
