Overview of organic superconductors

Journal Article · Mon Jan 10 00:00:00 EST 1994 · International Journal of Modern Physics B; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1142/S0217979294000026· OSTI ID:5039708

Mori, Hatsumi ^[1]

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1. International Superconductivity Technology Center, Nagoya (Japan). Nagoya Division

Organic materials which are usually used for insulators, were shown to be an electrical conductor by H. Akamatsu, H. Inokuchi, and Y. Matsunaga in 1954. Moreover, J.P. Ferraris et al. showed that TTF [center dot] TCNQ was stably metallic down to around 60 K in 1973. Because of a low dimensionality of organic compound, however, a stabilization of an electronic state and a destabilization of a periodic lattice constructed a charge density wave which led a metal-insulator transition (a Peierls transition). After overcoming this low dimensionality, D. Jerome et al. discovered the first organic superconductor, (TMTSF)[sub 2] PF[sub 6] ([Tc] = 0.9 K (12kbar)) in 1980. Then with the resisting up of [Tc] constantly, the superconductor [kappa]-(BEDT-TTF)[sub 2](NCS)[sub 2] ([Tc] = 10.4 K) was found in 1987 and the [Tc] of [kappa]-(BEDT-TTF)[sub 2]Cu[N(CN)[sub 2]]Cl, 12.8 K at 0.3kbar, is the highest among the TTF family. Moreover, when the authors included the C[sub 60] system is included as molecular superconductor, the [Tc] = 33 K of Cs[sub 2]RbC[sub 60] reaches the starting point of oxide superconductors. In this paper, the history of organic conductors is described in Sec. 2. In Sec. 3, the author chooses the typical example of organic superconductor, [kappa]-(BEDT-TTF)[sub 2]Cu(NCS)[sub 2], and the preparation, crystal structure, chemical and physical properties are reviewed. In Sec. 4, the mechanism of organic superconductors is discussed and the future of organic superconductors is finally presented. 118 refs.

• OSTI ID: 5039708
• Journal Information: International Journal of Modern Physics B; (United States), Vol. 8:1-2; Other Information: Publication data Issue Number 2, January 20, 1994; ISSN 0217-9792
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
ORGANIC SUPERCONDUCTORS
BEDT-TTF
CRYSTAL STRUCTURE
FULLERENES
HISTORICAL ASPECTS
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY
SYNTHESIS
TMTSF
TRANSITION TEMPERATURE
CARBON
ELECTRIC CONDUCTIVITY
ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES
ELEMENTS
HETEROCYCLIC COMPOUNDS
NONMETALS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC SULFUR COMPOUNDS
SELENIUM COMPOUNDS
SUPERCONDUCTORS
THERMODYNAMIC PROPERTIES
360600* - Other Materials