Investigations of key issues on the reproducibility of high-Tc superconductivity emerging from compressed La3Ni2O7

Zhou Yazhou; Guo Jing; Cai Shu; Sun Hualei; Li Chengyu; Zhao Jinyu; Wang Pengyu; Han Jinyu; Chen Xintian; Chen Yongjin; Wu Qi; Ding Yang; Xiang Tao; Mao Ho-kwang; Sun Liling

doi:10.1063/5.0247684

Volume 10 Issue 2

Mar. 2025

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Article Navigation > Matter and Radiation at Extremes > 2025 > 10(2): 027801

Zhou Yazhou, Guo Jing, Cai Shu, Sun Hualei, Li Chengyu, Zhao Jinyu, Wang Pengyu, Han Jinyu, Chen Xintian, Chen Yongjin, Wu Qi, Ding Yang, Xiang Tao, Mao Ho-kwang, Sun Liling. Investigations of key issues on the reproducibility of high-Tc superconductivity emerging from compressed La3Ni2O7[J]. Matter and Radiation at Extremes, 2025, 10(2): 027801. doi: 10.1063/5.0247684

Citation:

Zhou Yazhou, Guo Jing, Cai Shu, Sun Hualei, Li Chengyu, Zhao Jinyu, Wang Pengyu, Han Jinyu, Chen Xintian, Chen Yongjin, Wu Qi, Ding Yang, Xiang Tao, Mao Ho-kwang, Sun Liling. Investigations of key issues on the reproducibility of high-T_c superconductivity emerging from compressed La₃Ni₂O₇[J]. Matter and Radiation at Extremes, 2025, 10(2): 027801. doi: 10.1063/5.0247684

Citation:

Zhou Yazhou, Guo Jing, Cai Shu, Sun Hualei, Li Chengyu, Zhao Jinyu, Wang Pengyu, Han Jinyu, Chen Xintian, Chen Yongjin, Wu Qi, Ding Yang, Xiang Tao, Mao Ho-kwang, Sun Liling. Investigations of key issues on the reproducibility of high-T_c superconductivity emerging from compressed La₃Ni₂O₇[J]. Matter and Radiation at Extremes, 2025, 10(2): 027801. doi: 10.1063/5.0247684

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Investigations of key issues on the reproducibility of high-T_c superconductivity emerging from compressed La₃Ni₂O₇

doi: 10.1063/5.0247684

Zhou Yazhou^1
,,
Guo Jing^1
,,
Cai Shu²,
Sun Hualei³,
Li Chengyu^2
,,
Zhao Jinyu²,
Wang Pengyu^{1, 4},
Han Jinyu^{1, 4},
Chen Xintian^{1, 4},
Chen Yongjin^2
,,
Wu Qi^1
,,
Ding Yang^2
,,
Xiang Tao^{1, 4, 5
,},
Mao Ho-kwang^{2
,
,
,},
Sun Liling^{1, 2, 4
,
,
,}

1.
Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
2.
Center for High Pressure Science and Technology Advanced Research, Beijing 100094, China
3.
School of Science, Sun Yat-Sen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518107, China
4.
University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China
5.
Beijing Academy of Quantum Information Sciences, Beijing 100193, China

More Information

Corresponding author: a)Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed: maohk@hpstar.ac.cn and llsun@iphy.ac.cn or liling.sun@hpstar.ac.cn
Received Date: 2024-11-08
Accepted Date: 2024-12-30

Available Online: 2025-03-01

Publish Date: 2025-03-01

Abstract

Abstract

Signatures of superconductivity near 80 K have recently been discovered in single crystals of La₃Ni₂O₇ under pressure, which makes it a new candidate for high-temperature superconductors dominated by 3d transition elements, following the cuprate and iron-pnictide superconductors. However, there are several critical questions that have been perplexing the scientific community: (1) What factors contribute to the inconsistent reproducibility of the experimental results? (2) What is the fundamental nature of pressure-induced superconductivity: bulk or nonbulk (filamentary-like)? (3) Where is the superconducting phase located within the sample if it is filamentary-like? (4) Is the oxygen content important for the development and stabilization of superconductivity? In this study, we employ comprehensive high-pressure techniques to address these questions. Through our modulated ac susceptibility measurements, we are the first to find that the superconductivity in this nickelate is filamentary-like. Our scanning transmission electron microscopy investigations suggest that the filamentary-like superconductivity most likely emerges at the interface between La₃Ni₂O₇ and La₄Ni₃O₁₀ phases. By tuning the oxygen content of polycrystalline La₃Ni₂O₇, we also find that it plays vital role in the development and stabilization of superconductivity in this material. The upper and lower bounds on the oxygen content are 7.35 and 6.89, respectively. Our results provide not only new insights into the puzzling issues regarding this material, but also significant information that will enable a better understanding of its superconductivity.

Conflict of Interest
The authors have no conflicts to disclose.
Author Contributions
Y.Z., J.G., S.C., and H.S. contributed equally to this work.
Yazhou Zhou: Investigation (equal); Writing – review & editing (equal). Jing Guo: Investigation (equal); Writing – review & editing (equal). Shu Cai: Investigation (equal); Writing – review & editing (equal). Hualei Sun: Investigation (equal); Writing – review & editing (equal). Chengyu Li: Investigation (equal). Jinyu Zhao: Investigation (equal). Pengyu Wang: Investigation (equal). Jinyu Han: Investigation (equal). Xintian Chen: Investigation (equal). Yongjin Chen: Investigation (equal); Writing – review & editing (equal). Qi Wu: Investigation (equal); Supervision (equal); Writing – original draft (equal); Writing – review & editing (equal). Yang Ding: Investigation (equal); Supervision (equal); Writing – original draft (equal); Writing – review & editing (equal). Tao Xiang: Investigation (equal); Supervision (equal); Writing – review & editing (equal). Ho-kwang Mao: Investigation (equal); Supervision (equal); Writing – review & editing (equal). Liling Sun: Investigation (equal); Supervision (equal); Writing – original draft (equal); Writing – review & editing (equal).
L.S., H.-K.M., T.X., and Q.W. designed the study and supervised the project. H.L.S. provided the La₃Ni₂O₇ single crystals. Z.Y.Z. synthesized the La₃Ni₂O_7−δ and La₃Ni₂O_7+δ polycrystalline samples. Z.Y.Z. and S.C. performed the high-pressure modulated ac susceptibility measurements. J.G., S.C., P.Y.W., J.Y.Z., and J.Y.H. performed the high-pressure resistance and Hall coefficient measurements. Z.Y.Z. performed the experiments on electrochemical reactions. S.C. conducted the single-crystal X-ray diffraction measurements for the ambient-pressure sample. C.Y.L. and Y.J.C. performed the STEM investigations. L.S., T.X., Q.W., Y.D., H.-K.M., Y.Z. Z., J. G., and S.C. analyzed the data. L.S., H.-K.M., T.X., Q.W., Y.Z.Y., and J.G. wrote the manuscript, with efforts from all the authors.
The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding authors upon reasonable request.

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