Summary
The discovery of superconductivity with an onset temperature of ∼80 K in pressurized bilayer Ruddlesden-Popper La3Ni2O7-δ has attracted much attention. Despite intense research, determination of the exact oxygen content and understanding of the relationship between superconductivity and oxygen content remain a big challenge. Here, we report a systematical study on the structure and physical properties of La3Ni2O7-δ polycrystalline powders which were prepared using the sol-gel method at ambient pressure and then annealed under high oxygen pressure (pO2) or in ozone. The superconducting transition of La3Ni2O7-δ at ∼80 K under high pressure is suppressed for high pO2 and ozone annealed samples. We attribute this to the combination of the following two reasons: (i) damage of the bilayer structure, as revealed by powder X-ray diffraction, scanning transmission electron microscopy and pair distribution function measurements, and (ii) hole overdoping due to the increasing of oxygen content. Our results reveal that the bilayer structure in La3Ni2O7-δ is fragile and post-annealing under mild oxidization is suitable for maintaining the integrity of the bilayer structure and increasing oxygen content.
Materials
- La3Ni2O7-δ polycrystalline powders
Methods
- sol-gel method
- X-ray diffraction
- STEM
- pair distribution function measurements
Keywords
- oxygen content
- hole overdoping
- bilayer structure fragility
- superconductivity suppression
Highlights
- Strong oxidizing annealing of bilayer La3Ni2O7-δ results in suppression of superconductivity under high pressure.
- Reveals fragility of bilayer structure and relationship with oxygen content.
Conclusions
- Superconducting transition of La3Ni2O7-δ at ≈80 K under high pressure is suppressed for high pO2 and ozone annealed samples.
- This suppression is attributed to damage of the bilayer structure and hole overdoping due to increasing oxygen content.
- Bilayer structure in La3Ni2O7-δ is fragile and post-annealing under mild oxidization is suitable for maintaining integrity and increasing oxygen content.
Main claims
Not available in this batch.
Workflow
Not available in this batch.