Abstract
THE discovery1 of superconductivity, with a transition temperature Tc of 18 K, in potassium-doped C60 was followed by the synthesis of other superconducting M3C60 phases: Rb3C60 (Tc = 28K and 30 K; refs 2, 3), CsRb2C60 (Tc = 31K; ref. 4) and Cs2RbC60 (Tc = 33 K; ref. 4). A monotonic relationship is observed5 between Tc and lattice constant a0 for these face-centred cubic M3C0 compounds, all of which have a0 values larger than that of pure C60. Here we study this relationship over a wider range using mixed alkali compounds incorporating sodium (Na2MC60, where M is K, Rb or Cs) and lithium (Li2CsC60). The Na2MC60 compounds have face-centred cubic structures and are superconducting, with Tc = 12 K (M = Cs), 2.5 K (M = Rb) and 2.5 K (M = K); these Tcs are lower than those predicted on the basis of high-pressure studies6–8. This departure from the previous relationship between Tc and a0 for lattice parameters smaller than that of pristine C60 may provide new insights into what controls superconductivity in these materials.
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Tanigaki, K., Hirosawa, I., Ebbesen, T. et al. Superconductivity in sodium-and lithium-containing alkali-metal fullerides. Nature 356, 419–421 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1038/356419a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/356419a0
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