395 research outputs found
NMR study of the Superconducting gap variation near the Mott transition in CsC
Former extensive studies of superconductivity in the \textit{A}C
compounds, where \textit{A} is an alkali, have led to consider that Bardeen
Cooper Schrieffer (BCS) electron-phonon pairing prevails in those compounds,
though the incidence of electronic Coulomb repulsion has been highly debated.
The discovery of two isomeric fulleride compounds CsC which
exhibit a transition with pressure from a Mott insulator (MI) to a
superconducting (SC) state clearly re-opens that question. Using pressure ()
as a single control parameter of the C balls lattice spacing, one can
now study the progressive evolution of the SC properties when the electronic
correlations are increased towards the critical pressure of the Mott
transition. We have used C and Cs NMR measurements on the cubic
phase A15-CsC just above kbar, where the SC
transition temperature displays a dome shape with decreasing cell
volume. From the dependence below of the nuclear spin lattice
relaxation rate we determine the electronic excitations in the
SC state, that is , the SC gap value. We find that
increases with decreasing towards , where decreases on the
SC dome, so that increases regularly upon approaching the
Mott transition. These results bring clear evidence that the increasing
correlations near the Mott transition are not significantly detrimental to SC.
They rather suggest that repulsive electron interactions might even reinforce
elecron-phonon SC, being then partly responsible for the large values,
as proposed by theoretical models taking the electronic correlations as a key
ingredient.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, Supplemental Materia
Spin Dynamics at the Mott Transition and in the Metallic State of the Cs_{3}C_{60} Superconducting Phases
We present here ^{13}C and ^{133}Cs NMR spin lattice relaxation T_{1} data in
the A15 and fcc-Cs_{3}C_{60} phases for increasing hydrostatic pressure through
the transition at p_{c} from a Mott insulator to a superconductor. We evidence
that for p>> p_{c} the (T_{1}T)^{-1} data above T_{c} display metallic like
Korringa constant values which match quantitatively previous data taken on
other A_{3}C_{60} compounds. However below the pressure for which T_{c} goes
through a maximum, (T_{1}T)^{-1} is markedly increased with respect to the
Korringa values expected in a simple BCS scenario. This points out the
importance of electronic correlations near the Mott transition. For p > p_{c}
singular T dependences of (T_{1}T)^{-1} are detected for T >> T_{c}. It will be
shown that they can be ascribed to a large variation with temperature of the
Mott transition pressure p_{c} towards a liquid-gas like critical point, as
found at high T for usual Mott transitions.Comment: 6 pages, 6 figures, submitted to EP
Recovering Metallicity in A4C60: The Case of Monomeric Li4C60
The restoration of metallicity in the high-temperature, cubic phase of Li4C60
represents a remarkable feature for a member of the A4C60 family (A = alkali
metal), invariably found to be insulators. Structural and resonance technique
investigations on Li4C60 at T > 600 K, show that its fcc structure is
associated with a complete (4e) charge transfer to C60 and a sparsely populated
Fermi level. These findings not only emphasize the crucial role played by
lattice symmetry in fulleride transport properties, but also re-dimension the
role of Jahn-Teller effects in band structure determination. Moreover, they
suggest the present system as a potential precursor to a new class of
superconducting fullerides.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
Pressure tuning of light-induced superconductivity in K3C60
Optical excitation at terahertz frequencies has emerged as an effective means
to manipulate complex solids dynamically. In the molecular solid K3C60,
coherent excitation of intramolecular vibrations was shown to transform the
high temperature metal into a non-equilibrium state with the optical
conductivity of a superconductor. Here we tune this effect with hydrostatic
pressure, and we find it to disappear around 0.3 GPa. Reduction with pressure
underscores the similarity with the equilibrium superconducting phase of K3C60,
in which a larger electronic bandwidth is detrimental for pairing. Crucially,
our observation excludes alternative interpretations based on a high-mobility
metallic phase. The pressure dependence also suggests that transient, incipient
superconductivity occurs far above the 150 K hypothesised previously, and
rather extends all the way to room temperature.Comment: 33 pages, 17 figures, 2 table
Unusual polymerization in the Li4C60 fulleride
Li4C60, one of the best representatives of lithium intercalated fullerides,
features a novel type of 2D polymerization. Extensive investigations, including
laboratory x-ray and synchrotron radiation diffraction, 13C NMR, MAS and Raman
spectroscopy, show a monoclinic I2/m structure, characterized by chains of
[2+2]-cycloaddicted fullerenes, sideways connected by single C-C bonds. This
leads to the formation of polymeric layers, whose insulating nature, deduced
from the NMR and Raman spectra, denotes the complete localization of the
electrons involved in the covalent bonds.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figures, RevTex4, submitted to Phys. Rev.
Structure and dynamics of the fullerene polymer Li4 C60 studied with neutron scattering
The two-dimensional polymer structure and lattice dynamics of the superionic
conductor Li4 C60 are investigated by neutron diffraction and spectroscopy. The
peculiar bonding architecture of this compound is definitely confirmed through
the precise localisation of the carbon atoms involved in the intermolecular
bonds. The spectral features of this phase are revealed through ab-initio
lattice dynamics calculations and inelastic neutron scattering experiments. The
neutron observables are found to be in very good agreement with the simulations
which predict a partial charge transfer from the Li atoms to the C60 cage. The
absence of a well defined band associated to one category of the Li atoms in
the experimental spectrum suggests that this species is not ordered even at the
lowest temperatures. The calculations predict an unstable Li sublattice at a
temperature of 200 K, that we relate to the large ionic diffusivity of this
system. This specificity is discussed in terms of coupling between the low
frequency optic modes of the Li ions to the soft structure of the polymer.Comment: 29 pages, 13 Figure
Flexural and fracture behaviour of a cement-based material reinforced with GO nanoplates
In the present research work, the mechanical properties of a cement-based material reinforced with Graphene Oxide (GO) nanoplates are experimentally investigated. In particular, a detail experimental campaign, consisting of three-point bending tests on both unnotched and edge-notched specimens, is performed in order to determine flexural strength and fracture toughness. More precisely, the flexural strength is computed as a function of the experimental values of the peak load according to UNI EN Recommendation, whereas the fracture toughness is analytically determined according to the Modified Two-Parameter Mode
Superconducting fluctuations observed far above T<sub>c</sub> in the isotropic superconductor K<sub>3</sub>C<sub>60</sub>
Alkali-doped fullerides are strongly correlated organic superconductors that exhibit high transition temperatures, exceptionally large critical magnetic fields and a number of other unusual properties. The proximity to a Mott insulating phase is thought to be a crucial ingredient of the underlying physics, and may also affect precursors of superconductivity in the normal state above T. We report on the observation of a sizeable magneto-thermoelectric (Nernst) effect in the normal state of KC, which displays the characteristics of superconducting fluctuations. The anomalous Nernst effect emerges from an ordinary quasiparticle background below a temperature of 80K, far above T = 20K. At the lowest fields and close to T, the scaling of the effect is captured by a model based on Gaussian fluctuations. The temperature up to which we observe fluctuations is exceptionally high for a three-dimensional isotropic system, where fluctuation effects are usually suppressed
Mott Transition in the A15 Phase of Cs3C60 : Absence of a Pseudogap and Charge Order
We present a detailed NMR study of the insulator-to-metal transition induced by an applied pressure p in the A15 phase of Cs3C60. We evidence that the insulating antiferromagnetic (AFM) and superconducting (SC) phases coexist only in a narrow p range. At fixed p, in the metallic state above the SC transition T-c, the Cs-133 and C-13 NMR spin-lattice relaxation data are seemingly governed by a pseudogaplike feature. We prove that this feature, also seen in the (CsNMR)-Cs-133 shift data, is rather a signature of the Mott transition which broadens and smears out progressively for increasing (p,T). The analysis of the variation of the quadrupole splitting nu(Q) of the Cs-133 NMR spectrum precludes any cell symmetry change at the Mott transition and only monitors a weak variation of the lattice parameter. These results open an opportunity to consider theoretically the Mott transition in a multiorbital three-dimensional system well beyond its critical point.Peer reviewe
Zn-doped titania nanoparticles as building blocks for solid foam filters of water and air via photocatalytic oxidation
Photocatalytic oxidation (PCO) could provide energy-efficient purification of water and air. Its efficacy is constrained mainly by limited photocatalytic activity and active surface. To address both, solid foams with hierarchic porous structures spanning multiple length-scales, stabilized by photocatalytic Zn-doped titania nanoparticles (NP) were synthesized and tested. The NP were characterized by SEM, EDS, DLS, XRD, Raman and UV–Vis spectroscopies. Solid foams were stabilized by NP complexes with cationic surfactants. The foam morphology was characterized and photocatalytic activity was demonstrated in water. The present work paves the way for the development of efficient systems for air and water purification in demanding technological sectors, such as aerospace
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