The stoichiometry of FeSe

Tetragonal iron selenide, FeSe, the layered parent compound of the recently discovered superconducting arsenide family, has previously been shown to be non-magnetic and superconducting with a critical temperature near 8 K. There has, however, been a lack of consensus as to whether selenium vacancies present due to large deviations from ideal stoichiometry are required to give rise to the superconductivity. Here we describe the results of experiments that demonstrate simply that superconducting iron selenide can only be synthesized as a pure material when near stoichiometric (i.e. FeSe). Significant selenium deficiency or excess gives rise to secondary magnetic phases, and a suppression of the superconductivity.     

Superconductivity in three-layer Na0.3CoO2·1.3H2O

The observation of superconductivity at 4.3 K in a new crystalline form of Na_0.3CoO₂·1.3H₂O is reported. The new superconductor has three layers of CoO₆ octahedral per crystallographic unit cell, in contrast to the previously reported two-layer superconductor. The three-layer cell occurs because the relative orientations of neighboring CoO₂ layers are distinctly different from what is seen in the two-layer superconducting phase. This type of structural difference in materials that are otherwise chemically and structurally identical is not possible to attain on the layered copper oxide superconductors. The synthesis and stability of the new phase are described.     

Theoretical and experimental study of disordered Ba0.45Sr0.55 TiO3 photoluminescence at room temperature

Disordered and crystalline Ba_0.45Sr_0.55TiO₃ (BST) powder processed at low temperature was synthesized by the polymeric precursor method. The single-phase perovskite structure of the ceramics was identified by the Raman and X-ray diffraction techniques. Photoluminescence at room temperature was observed only in a disordered BST sample. Increasing the calcination time intensified the photoluminescence (PL), which reached its maximum value in the sample heat treated at 300 °C for 30 h. This emission may be correlated with the structural disorder. Periodic ab initio quantum-mechanical calculations using the CRYSTAL98 program can yield important information regarding the electronic and structural properties of crystalline and disordered solids. The experimental and theoretical results indicate the presence of intermediary energy levels in the band gap. This is ascribed to the break in symmetry, which is responsible for visible photoluminescence in the material’s disordered state at room temperature.     

Superconductivity and non-metallicity induced by doping the topological insulators Bi2Se3 and Bi2Te3

We show that by Ca doping the Bi₂Se₃ topological insulator, the Fermi level can be fine tuned to fall inside the band gap and therefore suppresses the bulk conductivity. Non-metallic Bi₂Se₃ crystals are obtained. On the other hand, the Bi₂Se₃ topological insulator can also be induced to become a bulk superconductor, with T_c∼3.8 K, by copper intercalation in the van der Waals gaps between the Bi₂Se₃ layers. Likewise, an as-grown crystal of metallic Bi₂Te₃ can be turned into a non-metallic crystal by slight variation in the Te content. The Bi₂Te₃ topological insulator shows small amounts of superconductivity with T_c∼5.5 K when reacted with Pd to form materials of the type Pd_zBi₂Te₃.