arXiv subjects

H. W. Zandbergen

Publications and source records attributed to H. W. Zandbergen.

32 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2006

Superconductivity in Cu_xTiSe_2

Charge density waves (CDWs) are periodic modulations of the conduction electron density in solids. They are collective states that arise from intrinsic instabilities often present in low dimensional electronic systems. The layered dichalcogenides are the most well-studied examples, with TiSe_2 one of the first CDW-bearing materials known. The competition between CDW and superconducting collective electronic states at low temperatures has long been held and explored, and yet no chemical system has been previously reported where finely controlled chemical tuning allows this competition to be studied in detail. Here we report how, upon controlled intercalation of TiSe_2 with Cu to yield Cu_xTiSe_2, the CDW transition is continuously suppressed, and a new superconducting state emerges near x = 0.04, with a maximum T_c of 4.15 K found at x = 0.08. Cu_xTiSe_2 thus provides the first opportunity to study the CDW to Superconductivity transition in detail through an easily-controllable chemical parameter, and will provide new insights into the behavior of correlated electron systems.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2006

Crystal Structure and Elementary Properties of NaxCoO2 (x = 0.32, 0.5, 0.6, 0.75, and 0.92) in the Three-Layer NaCoO2 Family

The crystal structures of the NaxCoO2 phases based on three-layer NaCoO2, with x=0.32, x=0.51, x=0.60, x=0.75 and x=0.92, determined by powder neutron diffraction, are reported. The structures have triangular CoO2 layers interleaved by sodium ions, and evolve with variation in Na content in a more complex way than has been observed in the two-layer NaxCoO2 system. The highest and lowest Na containing phases studied (x=0.92 and x=0.32) are trigonal, with three CoO2 layers per cell and octahedral Na ion coordination. The intermediate compositions have monoclinic structures. The x=0.75 compound has one CoO2 layer per cell, with Na in octahedral coordination and an incommensurate superlattice. The x=0.6 and x=0.5 phases are also single-layer, but the Na is found in trigonal prismatic coordination. The magnetic behavior of the phases is similar to that observed in the two-layer system. Both the susceptibility and the electronic contribution to the specific heat are largest for x=0.6.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2005

Ca_25Co_22O_56(OH)_28: a layered misfit compound

The high pressure synthesis, structure and magnetic properties of Ca_25Co_22O_56(OH)_28 are reported. The compound has a misfit structure, consisting of double, square calcium oxide hydroxide rock-salt-like layers between hexagonal CoO_2 layers. The misfit compound crystallizes in the monoclinic space group C2/m, and can be characterized by the coexistence of two subsystems with common a=4.893(5)A, c=8.825(9)A and b=95.745(8) parameters, and different b parameters: b_RS=4.894(5)A, and b_HEX=2.809(3)A, for the rock-salt and hexagonal type planes respectively. The compound shows Curie-Weiss paramagnetism with an antiferromagnetic Weiss temperature of -43K and a reduced Co moment. Substantial deviations from Curie-Weiss behavior are seen below 50K with no indication of magnetic ordering. No superconductivity was observed down to a temperature of 2K.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2004

Coupling between electronic and structural degrees of freedom in the triangular lattice conductor NaxCoO2

The determination by powder neutron diffraction of the ambient temperature crystal structures of compounds in the NaxCoO2 family, for 0.3 < x <= 1.0, is reported. The structures consist of triangular CoO2 layers with Na ions distributed in intervening charge reservoir layers. The shapes of the CoO6 octahedra that make up the CoO2 layers are found to be critically dependent on the electron count and on the distribution of the Na ions in the intervening layers, where two types of Na sites are available. Correlation of the shapes of cobalt-oxygen octahedra, the Na ion positions, and the electronic phase diagram in NaxCoO2 is made, showing how structural and electronic degrees of freedom can be coupled in electrically conducting triangular lattice systems.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2004

Low temperature phase transitions and crystal structure of Na0.5CoO2

The crystal structure of Na0.5CoO2, determined by powder neutron diffraction, is reported. The structure consists of layers of edge-shared CoO6 octahedra in a triangular lattice, with Na ions occupying ordered positions in the interleaving planes. The Na ions form one-dimensional zigzag chains. Two types of Co ions, which differ only subtly in their coordination by oxygen, are also found in chains. Specific heat measurements show that the transitions observed at 87 K and 53 K in the resistivity and magnetic susceptibility are accompanied by changes in entropy. Electron diffraction studies suggest that the 87K transition may have a structural component.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2004

Sodium Ion Ordering in NaxCoO2

The layered sodium cobalt oxide NaxCoO2 is studied by electron diffraction for a wide range of sodium contents, 0.15<x<0.75. An extensive series of ordered Na ion-Na vacancy superlattices is found beyond the simple hexagonal average structure. The most strongly developed superlattice is found for the composition Na0.5CoO2, which displays Co3+/Co4+ charge ordering at low temperatures. The structural principle for some of the observed ordering schemes, particularly near x=0.5, is, surprisingly, the presence of lines of Na ions and vacancies rather than simply maximized Na-Na separations.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2004

Charge-ordering, commensurability and metallicity in the phase diagram of layered Na(x)CoO(2)

The phase diagram of non-hydrated Na(x)CoO(2) has been determined by changing the Na content x using a series of chemical reactions. As x increases from 0.3, the ground state goes from a paramagnetic metal to a charge-ordered insulator (at x=1/2) to a `Curie-Weiss metal' (around 0.70), and finally to a weak-moment magnetically ordered state (x>0.75). The unusual properties of the state at 1/2 (including particle-hole symmetry at low T and enhanced thermal conductivity) are described. The strong coupling between the Na ions and the holes is emphasized.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2003

Chemical Instability of the Cobalt Oxyhydrate Superconductor under Ambient Conditions

The layered sodium cobalt oxyhydrate superconductor Na0.3CoO2*1.4H2O is shown through X-ray diffraction and thermogravimetric studies to be one of a series of hydrated phases of Na0.3CoO2. Further, it is shown that the material is exceptionally sensitive to both temperature and humidity near ambient conditions, easily dehydrating to a non-superconducting lower hydrate. The observation of this stable lower hydrate with c=13.8 angstroms implies that the superconductivity turns on in this system between CoO2 layer spacings of 6.9 and 9.9 angstroms at nominally constant chemical doping.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2003

Flux line lattice structure and behaviour in anti-phase boundary free vicinal YBa2Cu3O7-d thin films

Field angle dependent critical current, magneto-optical microscopy, and high resolution electron microscopy studies have been performed on YBa2Cu3O7-d thin films grown on mis-cut substrates. High resolution electron microscopy images show that the films studied exhibited clean epitaxial growth with a low density of anti-phase boundaries and stacking faults. Any anti-phase boundaries (APBs) formed near the film substrate interface rapidly healed rather than extending through the thickness of the film. Unlike vicinal films grown on annealed substrates, which contain a high density of anti-phase boundaries, magneto optical imaging showed no filamentary flux penetration in the films studied. The flux penetration is, however, asymmetric. This is associated with intrinsic pinning of flux strings by the tilted a-b planes and the dependence of the pinning force on the angle between the local field and the a-b planes. Field angle dependent critical current measurements exhibited the striking vortex channelling effect previously reported in vicinal films. By combining the results of three complementary characterisation techniques it is shown that extended APB free films exhibit markedly different critical current behaviour as compared to APB rich films. This is attributed to the role of APB sites as strong pinning centres for Josephson string vortices between the a-b planes.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2002

Structure and Superconductivity in Zr-Stabilized, Nonstoichiometric Molybdenum Diboride

The structure and physical properties of the Zr-stabilized, nonstoichiometric molybdenum diboride superconductor are reported. Good quality material of the diboride structure type can only be obtained by partial substitution of Zr for Mo, and the quenching of melts. The phase is best made with boron in excess of the ideal 2:1 boron to metal ratio. Powder neutron diffraction measurements show that the non-stoichiometry is accommodated by atom deficiency in the metal layers. The diboride structure type exists for (Mo.96Zr.04)xB2 for x between 0.85 and 1.0. Electron diffraction shows that the stoichiometric material, x=1, has a significant number of stacking faults. Tc increases from 5.9 to 8.2K with the introduction of metal vacancies. Resistivity measurements indicate that (Mo.96Zr.04).88B2 is a bad metal, and specific heat measurements show that gamma= 4.4 mJ/mol K2, and that deltaC/gammaTc = 1.19. Preliminary boron isotope effect measurements indicate an exponent 0.11(5). Analysis of the data in terms of the electronic structure is reported, allowing an estimate of the electron-phonon coupling constant, lamda = 0.1-0.3, making these weak-coupling superconductors. Preliminary characterizations of the superconductivity in the related phases NbxB2 and (Mo.96X.04).85B2 for X=Ti, and Hf are reported.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2001

The complex superstructure in Mg1-xAlxB2 at x~0.5

Electron diffraction and high resolution microscopy have been performed on Mg1-xAlxB2 with x~0.5. This composition displays a superstructure with a repeat period of exactly 2c along the c axis and about 10 nm in the a-b plane. The superstructure results in ring-shaped superreflections in the diffraction pattern. Irradiation by a strong electron beam results in a loss of the superstructure and a decrease of about 1% in the c lattice parameter. In-situ heating and cooling on the other hand showed that the superstructure is stable from 100 K to 700 K. Possible origins for the superstructure are proposed.

cond-mat↗

arXiv2001

Superconductivity in the non-oxide Perovskite MgCNi3

The oxide perovskites are a large family of materials with many important physical properties. Of particular interest has been the fact that this structure type provides an excellent structural framework for the existence of superconductivity. The high Tc copper oxides are the most famous examples of superconducting perovskites, but there are many others [1]. Intermetallic compounds have been the source of many superconducting materials in the past, but they have been eclipsed in recent years by the perovskite oxides. The recent discovery of superconductivity in MgB2 [2] suggests that intermetallic compounds with simple structure types are worth serious reconsideration as sources of new superconducting materials. Here we report the observation of superconductivity at 8 K in the perovskite structure intermetallic compound MgCNi3, linking what appear at first sight to be mutually exclusive classes of superconducting materials. The observation of superconductivity in MgCNi3 indicates that MgB2 will not be the only one of its kind within the chemical paradigm that it suggests for new superconducting materials.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2001

Loss of superconductivity and structural transition in Mg1-xAlxB2

The basic magnetic and electronic properties of most binary compounds have been well known for decades. Therefore the recent announcement of superconductivity at 39 K in the simple binary ceramic compound MgB2 is surprising. This compound, available from common chemical suppliers, and used as a starting material for chemical metathesis reactions, has been known and structurally characterized since the mid 1950's. Here we show that the addition of electrons to MgB2 through partial substitution of Al for Mg results in the loss of superconductivity. Associated with the Al substitution is a subtle but distinct structural transition, reflected in the partial collapse of the spacing between boron layers near 10% Al content. This indicates that superconducting MgB2 is poised very near a structural instability at slightly higher electron concentrations.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2001

Strain release of (La,Ca)MnO3 thin films by YBa2Cu3O7-d

La1-xCaxMnO3 (x = 0.3; LCMO) films of different thickness were sputter-deposited on SrTiO3(100) (STO) single crystal substrates with and without YBa2Cu3O7-d (YBCO) as template layer. The electric and magnetic properties and the microstructure of the films were studied. Clear differences in the out-of-plane lattice parameter and the temperature of the metal-insulator transition show that the YBCO buffer layer is very effective in relaxing the strain of the LCMO films, which is quite difficult to release in LCMO films directly deposited on STO. Use of such buffer layers for strain release may prove to be a quite general tool.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗