Magnetic Susceptibility in 2D Superconductor NaxHfNCl System

Abstract

Superconducting critical temperature, T_c and the shielding volume fraction, SVF, of layered nitride superconductor Na_xHfNCl have been studied as a function of x, i.e. Na concentration. Although T_c decreases gradually with increasing x from 20.0 K at x=0.11 to 16.5 K at x=0.85, SVF has a sharp peak around x=1/6, where strong coupling between local ordering of Na atoms and Fermi surface instability can be expected. Structural disorder in the samples above x=0.5, observed by powder neutron diffraction, does not affect the superconductivity appreciably. Electronic specific heat coefficient, γ, is estimated to be about 7.7 mJ/mol/K² by its difference of magnetic susceptibility between HfNCl and Na_0.5HfNCl. The γ value is relatively small compared with the high T_c value, revealing double honeycomb lattice system as new potential higher T_c superconductor series by intercalation.