Heterostructured high-Tc superconducting nanohybrid: (Me3S)2HgI4−Bi2Sr2CaCu2Oy

Abstract

We have developed a type of nanohybrid high-T superconductor with periodic stacking of the organic-salt layer and the superconducting cuprate one. Such a hybrid is realized by intercalative complexation, which means that complex formation proceeds in the interlayer space of two-dimensional solid lattice by reacting trimethylsulfonium iodide with the HgI2-intercalated bismuth cuprate. The present organic-salt intercalate provides a clue to understand the high-Tc superconductivity in the layered cuprate and, at the same time, the synthetic strategy gives an interesting route to a different class of high-Tc superconducting nanohybrid. The powder x-ray-diffraction pattern shows that the organic-inorganic hybrid material features a stage-I intercalation compound with a basal increment of 12.6 Å compared to the pristine. The micro-Raman analysis reveals that the intercalated ionic sublattice consists of tetrahedral complex anion (HgI42−) and organic cation (Me3S+), which is also cross confirmed by the extended x-ray-absorption fine-structure fitting results. In spite of large layer separation, the onset Tc of the nanohybrid is comparable to that of the pristine compound, unusual phenomena when compared with Tc depressions in the iodine-, AgI-, and HgX2 (X=Br and I)-intercalated Bi-based cuprates.

Source-reported materials — not catalogue approval

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