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Title: On the Chemistry and Physical Properties of Flux and Floating Zone Grown SmB6 Single Crystals

Abstract

Recent theoretical and experimental findings suggest the long-known but not well understood low temperature resistance plateau of SmB6 may originate from protected surface states arising from a topologically non-trivial bulk band structure having strong Kondo hybridization. Yet others have ascribed this feature to impurities, vacancies, and surface reconstructions. Given the typical methods used to prepare SmB6 single crystals, flux and floating-zone procedures, such ascriptions should not be taken lightly. We demonstrate how compositional variations and/or observable amounts of impurities in SmB6 crystals grown using both procedures affect the physical properties. From X-ray diffraction, neutron diffraction, and X-ray computed tomography experiments we observe that natural isotope containing (SmB6) and doubly isotope enriched (154Sm11B6) crystals prepared using aluminum flux contain co-crystallized, epitaxial aluminum. Further, a large, nearly stoichiometric crystal of SmB6 was successfully grown using the float-zone technique; upon continuing the zone melting, samarium vacancies were introduced. These samarium vacancies drastically alter the resistance and plateauing magnitude of the low temperature resistance compared to stoichiometric SmB6. Finally, these results highlight that impurities and compositional variations, even at low concentrations, must be considered when collecting/analyzing physical property data of SmB6. Finally, a more accurate samarium-154 coherent neutron scattering length, 8.9(1) fm, is reported.

Authors:
 [1];  [1];  [1];  [1];  [2];  [2];  [3];  [4];  [4];  [1];  [5];  [5];  [1]
+ Show Author Affiliations
  1. Johns Hopkins Univ., Baltimore, MD (United States)
  2. Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). Quantum Condensed Matter Division
  3. Johns Hopkins Univ., Laurel, MD (United States). Applied Physics Lab.
  4. Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). Chemical and Engineering Materials Division
  5. Louisiana State Univ., Baton Rouge, LA (United States)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). Spallation Neutron Source (SNS)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)
OSTI Identifier:
1259844
Alternate Identifier(s):
OSTI ID: 1261516
Grant/Contract Number:  
FG02-08ER46544; NSF-DMR1306392; AC02-06CH11357; AC05 00OR22725; AC05-00OR22725
Resource Type:
Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Scientific Reports
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 6; Journal ID: ISSN 2045-2322
Publisher:
Nature Publishing Group
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY; 75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY

Citation Formats

Phelan, W. A., Koohpayeh, S. M., Cottingham, P., Tutmaher, J. A., Leiner, J. C., Lumsden, M. D., Lavelle, C. M., Wang, X. P., Hoffmann, C., Siegler, M. A., Haldolaarachchige, N., Young, D. P., and McQueen, T. M. On the Chemistry and Physical Properties of Flux and Floating Zone Grown SmB6 Single Crystals. United States: N. p., 2016. Web. doi:10.1038/srep20860.
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Phelan, W. A., Koohpayeh, S. M., Cottingham, P., Tutmaher, J. A., Leiner, J. C., Lumsden, M. D., Lavelle, C. M., Wang, X. P., Hoffmann, C., Siegler, M. A., Haldolaarachchige, N., Young, D. P., & McQueen, T. M. On the Chemistry and Physical Properties of Flux and Floating Zone Grown SmB6 Single Crystals. United States. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep20860
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Phelan, W. A., Koohpayeh, S. M., Cottingham, P., Tutmaher, J. A., Leiner, J. C., Lumsden, M. D., Lavelle, C. M., Wang, X. P., Hoffmann, C., Siegler, M. A., Haldolaarachchige, N., Young, D. P., and McQueen, T. M. Fri . "On the Chemistry and Physical Properties of Flux and Floating Zone Grown SmB6 Single Crystals". United States. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep20860. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1259844.
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@article{osti_1259844,
title = {On the Chemistry and Physical Properties of Flux and Floating Zone Grown SmB6 Single Crystals},
author = {Phelan, W. A. and Koohpayeh, S. M. and Cottingham, P. and Tutmaher, J. A. and Leiner, J. C. and Lumsden, M. D. and Lavelle, C. M. and Wang, X. P. and Hoffmann, C. and Siegler, M. A. and Haldolaarachchige, N. and Young, D. P. and McQueen, T. M.},
abstractNote = {Recent theoretical and experimental findings suggest the long-known but not well understood low temperature resistance plateau of SmB6 may originate from protected surface states arising from a topologically non-trivial bulk band structure having strong Kondo hybridization. Yet others have ascribed this feature to impurities, vacancies, and surface reconstructions. Given the typical methods used to prepare SmB6 single crystals, flux and floating-zone procedures, such ascriptions should not be taken lightly. We demonstrate how compositional variations and/or observable amounts of impurities in SmB6 crystals grown using both procedures affect the physical properties. From X-ray diffraction, neutron diffraction, and X-ray computed tomography experiments we observe that natural isotope containing (SmB6) and doubly isotope enriched (154Sm11B6) crystals prepared using aluminum flux contain co-crystallized, epitaxial aluminum. Further, a large, nearly stoichiometric crystal of SmB6 was successfully grown using the float-zone technique; upon continuing the zone melting, samarium vacancies were introduced. These samarium vacancies drastically alter the resistance and plateauing magnitude of the low temperature resistance compared to stoichiometric SmB6. Finally, these results highlight that impurities and compositional variations, even at low concentrations, must be considered when collecting/analyzing physical property data of SmB6. Finally, a more accurate samarium-154 coherent neutron scattering length, 8.9(1) fm, is reported.},
doi = {10.1038/srep20860},
journal = {Scientific Reports},
number = ,
volume = 6,
place = {United States},
year = {Fri Feb 19 00:00:00 EST 2016},
month = {Fri Feb 19 00:00:00 EST 2016}
}
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    Works referencing / citing this record:

    The Raman scattering of trirutile structure MgTa 2 O 6 single crystals grown by the optical floating zone method
    journal, January 2019

    • Xu, Dapeng; Gao, Shuohui; Liu, Wenqiang
    • RSC Advances, Vol. 9, Issue 2
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    Screened moments and extrinsic in-gap states in samarium hexaboride
    journal, April 2018

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