Discovery of a Superconducting Cu-Bi Intermetallic Compound by High-Pressure Synthesis
- Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, Evanston IL 60208 USA
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston IL 60208 USA
- Center for Advanced Radiation Sources, The University of Chicago, Chicago IL 60637 USA
- Department of Physics, Universität Basel, Kingelbergstr. 82 4056 Basel Switzerland
A new intermetallic compound, the first to be structurally identified in the Cu-Bi binary system, is reported. This compound is accessed by high-pressure reaction of the elements. Its detailed characterization, physical property measurements, and ab initio calculations are described. The commensurate crystal structure of Cu11Bi7 is a unique variation of the NiAs structure type. Temperature-dependent electrical resistivity and heat capacity measurements reveal a bulk superconducting transition at Tc=1.36 K. Density functional theory calculations further demonstrate that Cu11Bi7 can be stabilized (relative to decomposition into the elements) at high pressure and temperature. These results highlight the ability of high-pressure syntheses to allow for inroads into heretofore-undiscovered intermetallic systems for which no thermodynamically stable binaries are known.
- Research Organization:
- Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States). Advanced Photon Source (APS)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- U.S. AIR FORCE- OFFICE OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCHDARPA
- OSTI ID:
- 1390892
- Journal Information:
- Angewandte Chemie (International Edition), Vol. 55, Issue 43; ISSN 1433-7851
- Publisher:
- Wiley
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- ENGLISH
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