Warwick team finds hidden structural patchwork in a 40-year-studied superconductor
Researchers at the University of Warwick and the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility used 3D X-ray imaging to map a cuprate superconductor’s interior, finding regions with two different atomic arrangements. The boundaries between them are about 150 nanometres wide, and Warwick’s Professor Mark Senn says they likely work against superconductivity.
Bottom line — The findings point to a need to revisit some bulk measurements and build models that account for cuprates’ hidden structural complexity.
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The team used scanning 3D X-ray diffraction at the ESRF’s ID11 beamline to resolve how the structures are distributed through the crystal.
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The ESRF reports that the boundaries are about 150 nanometres wide—far broader than expected between two crystal structures.
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The study, published in Physical Review Letters, examined a copper-based material known as a 214 cuprate.
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The researchers suggest similar structural patterns may occur in other cuprate superconductors and related materials studied under extreme pressure.
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The ESRF says the experiment relied on its Extremely Brilliant Source upgrade and a Dectris CdTe detector.
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