An Overview of the Multi-Band and the Generalized BCS Equations-Based Approaches to Deal with Hetero-Structured Superconductors

We trace the conceptual basis of the Multi-Band Approach (MBA) and recall the reasons for its wide following for composite superconductors (SCs). Attention is then drawn to a feature that MBA ignores: the possibility that electrons in such an SC may also be bound via simultaneous exchanges of quanta with more than one ion-species—a lacuna which is addressed by the Generalized BCS Equations (GBCSEs). Based on several papers, we give a concise account of how this approach: 1) despite employing a single band, meets the criteria satisfied by MBA because a) GBCSEs are derived from a temperature-incorporated Bethe-Salpeter Equation the kernel of which is taken to be a “superpropagator” for a composite SC-each ion-species of which is distinguished by its own Debye temperature and interaction parameter and b) the band overlapping the Fermi surface is allowed to be of variable width. GBCSEs so-obtained reduce to the usual equations for the Tc and Δ of an elemental SC in the limit superpropagator → 1-phonon propagator;2) accommodates moving Cooper pairs and thereby extends the scope of the original BCS theory which restricts the Hamiltonian at the outset to terms that correspond to pairs having zero centre-of-mass momentum. One can now derive an equation for the critical current density (j0) of a composite SC at T = 0 in terms of the Debye temperatures of its ions and their interaction parameters— parameters that also determine its Tc and Δs;3) transforms the problem of optimizing j0 of a composite SC, and hence its Tc, into a problem of chemical engineering;4) provides a common canopy for most composite SCs, including those that are usually regarded as outside the purview of the BCS theory and have therefore been called “exceptional”, e.g., the heavy-fermion SCs;5) incorporates s±-wave superconductivity as an in-built feature and can therefore deal with the iron-based SCs, and 6) leads to presumably verifiable predictions for the values of some relevant parameters, e.g., the effective mass of electrons, for the SCs for which it has been employed.

Effect of Lattice Mismatch on Luminescence of ZnO/Si Hetero-Structure

The photoluminescence （PL） and Raman spectra of undoped ZnO films deposited directly on Si substrate （sample A）,on Si substrate through a SiC buffer layer （sample B）,and on a ZnO crystal wafer （sample C） are investigated. There are emission peaks centered at 3.18eV （ultraviolet,UV） and 2.38eV （green） in these sampies. Comparing the Raman spectra and the variation of the PL peak intensities with annealing atmosphere, we conclude that the luminescence of the samples is related to the tensile strain in the ZnO film due to the lattice mismatch between the film and the substrate. In particular, the tensile strain reduces the formation energy of OZn antisite oxygen defects,which generate the green emission center. After annealing in oxygen-rich atmosphere, many OZn defects are generated. Thus, the intensity of green emission in ZnO/Si hetero-structure materials increases due to tensile strain in ZnO films.

Engineering hollow core-shell hetero-structure box to induce interfacial charge modulation for promoting bidirectional sulfur conversion in lithium-sulfur batteries

Severe polysulfide shuttling and sluggish sulfur redox kinetics significantly decrease sulfur utilization and cycling stability in lithium-sulfur batteries(LSBs).Herein,we develop a hollow CoO/CoP-Box core-shell heterostructure as a model and multifunctional catalyst modified on separators to induce interfacial charge modulation and expose more active sites for promoting the adsorption and catalytic conversion ability of sulfur species.Theoretical and experimental findings verify that the in-situ formed core-shell hetero-interface induces the formation of P-Co-O binding and charge redistribution to activate surface O active sites for binding lithium polysulfides(LiPSs)via strong Li-O bonding,thus strongly adsorbing with Li PSs.Meanwhile,the strong Li-O bonding weakens the competing Li-S bonding in LiPSs or Li2S adsorbed on CoO/CoP-Box surface,plus the hollow heterostructure provides abundant active sites and fast electron/Li+transfer,so reducing Li2S nucleation/dissolution activation energy.As expected,LSBs with CoO/CoP-Box modified separator and traditional sulfur/carbon black cathode display a large initial capacity of 1240 mA h g^(-1)and a long cycling stability with 300 cycles(~60.1%capacity retention)at 0.5C.Impressively,the thick sulfur cathode(sulfur loading:5.2 mg cm^(-2))displays a high initial areal capacity of 6.9 mA h cm^(-2).This work verifies a deep mechanism understanding and an effective strategy to induce interfacial charge modulation and enhance active sites for designing efficient dual-directional Li-S catalysts via engineering hollow core-shell hetero-structure.

Evolution of Superconducting-Transition Temperature with Superfluid Density and Conductivity in Pressurized Cuprate Superconductors

What factors fundamentally determine the value of superconducting transition temperature Tc in high temperature superconductors has been the subject of intense debate.Following the establishment of an empirical law known as Homes'law,there is a growing consensus in the community that the Tc value of the cuprate superconductors is closely linked to the superfluid density(ρ_(s))of its ground state and the conductivity(σ)of its normal state.However,all the data supporting this empirical law(ρ_(s)=AσT_(c))have been obtained from the ambientpressure superconductors.In this study,we present the first high-pressure results about the connection of the quantities of ρ_(s) and σ with T_(c),through the studies on the Bi_(1.74)Pb_(0.38)Sr_(1.88)CuO_(6+δ)and Bi_(2)Sr_(2)CaCu_(2)O_(8+δ),in which the value of their high-pressure resistivity(ρ=1/σ)is achieved by adopting our newly established method,while the quantity ofρs is extracted using Homes'law.We highlight that the Tc values are strongly linked to the joint response factors of magnetic field and electric field,i.e.,ρ_(s) and σ,respectively,implying that the physics determining T_(c) is governed by the intrinsic electromagnetic fields of the system.

Thermoelectric-transport in metal/graphene/metal hetero-structure

We investigate the thermoelectric-transport properties of metal/graphene/metal hetero-structure. We use a single band tight-binding model to prcsent the two-dimensional electronic band structure of graphene. Using the LandauerButticker formula and taking the coupling between graphene and the two electrodes into account, we can calculate the thermoelectric potential and current versus temperature. It is found that in spite of metal electrodes, the carrier type of graphene determines the electron motion direction driven by the difference in temperature between the two electrodes, while for n type graphene, the electrons move along the thermal gradient, and for p type graphene, the electrons move against the thermal gradient.

Strong Anisotropic Order Parameters at All-Nitride Ferromagnet/Superconductor Interfaces

Proximity effects between superconductors and ferromagnets(SC/FM)hold paramount importance in comprehending the spin competition transpiring at their interfaces.This competition arises from the interplay between Cooper pairs and ferromagnetic exchange interactions.The proximity effects between transition metal nitrides(TMNs)are scarcely investigated due to the formidable challenges of fabricating high-quality SC/FM interfaces.We fabricated heterostructures comprising SC titanium nitride(TiN)and FM iron nitride(Fe_(3)N)with precise chemical compositions and atomically well-defined interfaces.The magnetoresistance of Fe_(3)N/TiN heterostructures shows a distinct magnetic anisotropy and strongly depends on the external perturbations.Moreover,the superconducting transition temperatureT_(C) and critical field of TiN experience notable suppression when proximity to Fe_(3)N.We observe the intriguing competition of interfacial spin orientations near𝑇T_(C)(∼1.25 K).These findings not only add a new materials system for investigating the interplay between superconductor and ferromagnets,but also potentially provide a building block for future research endeavors and applications in the realms of superconducting spintronic devices.

Controversy Clouds Real Progress in Superconductor Research

In the 8 March 2023 issue of the journal Nature,a paper attracted global attention with the report of a new superconductor material exhibiting ground-breaking properties[1,2].A group led by Ranga P.Dias,assistant professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Rochester(Rochester,NY,USA),described a hydride material that superconducted at around room temperature,albeit at pressures 10000 times greater than atmospheric pressure[3].

H_(3)Se in the Imˉ3m Phase:High-Pressure Superconductor with T_(c) Reaching 200K at 64GPa Mediated by Anharmonic Phonons

Hydrogen-based compounds have attracted significant attention in recent years due to the discovery of conventional superconductivity with high critical temperature under high pressure,rekindling hopes for finding roomtemperature superconductors.In this study,we investigated the vibrational and superconducting properties of H_(3)Sein the Im￣3m phase under pressures of 50-200GPa.Our approach combines the stochastic self-consistent harmonic approximation and first-principles calculations to account for the quantum and anharmonic effects of ions.According to the results,these effects significantly modify the crystal structure,increasing the inner pressure by approximately 8GPa compared to situations in which they are ignored.The phonon spectra suggest that when these effects are considered,the crystal stabilizes at pressures as low as approximately 61GPa,which is significantly lower than the previously predicted value of over 100GPa.Our calculations also highlight the critical role of quantum and anharmonic effects on the electron-phonon coupling properties.Neglecting these factors can result in a significant overestimation of the superconducting critical temperature(T_(c))by approximately 4K(200GPa)to 25K(125GPa).With anharmonic phonons,the T_(c) calculated from the Migdal-Eliashberg equations reaches 200K(μ⋆=0.1,λ=4.1)as the pressure decreases to 64GPa,indicating that the crystal is a rare high-Tc superconductor at moderate pressures.

Design of high-temperature superconductors at moderate pressures by alloying AlH3 or GaH3

Since the discovery of hydride superconductors,a significant challenge has been to reduce the pressure required for their stabilization.In this context,we propose that alloying could be an effective strategy to achieve this.We focus on a series of alloyed hydrides with the AMH_(6)composition,which can be made via alloying A15 AH_(3)(A=Al or Ga)with M(M=a group IIIB or IVB metal),and study their behavior under pressure.Seven of them are predicted to maintain the A15-type structure,similar to AH_(3)under pressure,providing a platform for studying the effects of alloying on the stability and superconductivity of AH_(3).Among these,the A15-type phases of AlZrH_(6)and AlHfH_(6)are found to be thermodynamically stable in the pressure ranges of 40–150 and 30–181 GPa,respectively.Furthermore,they remain dynamically stable at even lower pressures,as low as 13 GPa for AlZrH_(6)and 6 GPa for AlHfH_(6).These pressures are significantly lower than that required for stabilizing A15 AlH3.Additionally,the introduction of Zr or Hf increases the electronic density of states at the Fermi level compared with AlH3.This enhancement leads to higher critical temperatures(Tc)of 75 and 76 K for AlZrH_(6)and AlHfH_(6)at 20 and 10 GPa,respectively.In the case of GaMH_(6)alloys,where M represents Sc,Ti,Zr,or Hf,these metals reinforce the stability of the A15-type structure and reduce the lowest thermodynamically stable pressure for GaH_(3) from 160 GPa to 116,95,80,and 85 GPa,respectively.Particularly noteworthy are the A15-type GaMH_(6)alloys,which remain dynamically stable at low pressures of 97,28,5,and 6 GPa,simultaneously exhibiting high Tc of 88,39,70,and 49 K at 100,35,10,and 10 GPa,respectively.Overall,these findings enrich the family of A15-type superconductors and provide insights for the future exploration of high-temperature hydride superconductors that can be stabilized at lower pressures.

Prediction of novel layered indium halide superconductors

We design two new layered indium halide compounds LaOInF_(2)and LaOInCl_(2)by means of first-principles calculations and evolutionary crystal structure prediction.We find both compounds crystallize in a tetragonal structure with P4/nmm space group and have indirect band gaps of 2.58 eV and 3.21 eV,respectively.By substituting O with F,both of them become metallic and superconducting at low temperature.The F-doping leads to strong electron-phonon coupling in the low-energy acoustic phonon modes which is mainly responsible for the induced superconductivity.The total electron-phonon coupling strength are 1.86 and 1.48,while the superconducting transition temperature(T_(c))are about 7.2 K and 6.5 K with 10%and 5%F doping for LaOInF_(2)and LaOInCl_(2),respectively.

Two-fold symmetry of the in-plane resistance in kagome superconductor Cs(V_(1-x)Ta_(x))_(3)Sb_(5) with enhanced superconductivity

The kagome superconductor CsV_(3)Sb_(5) has attracted widespread attention due to its rich correlated electron states including superconductivity, charge density wave(CDW), nematicity, and pair density wave. Notably, the modulation of the intertwined electronic orders by the chemical doping is significant to illuminate the cooperation/competition between multiple phases in kagome superconductors. In this study, we have synthesized a series of tantalum-substituted Cs(V_(1-x)Ta_(x))_(3)Sb_(5) by a modified self-flux method. Electrical transport measurements reveal that CDW is suppressed gradually and becomes undetectable as the doping content of x is over 0.07. Concurrently, the superconductivity is enhanced monotonically from T_(c) ~ 2.8 K at x = 0 to 5.2 K at x = 0.12. Intriguingly, in the absence of CDW, Cs(V_(1-x)Ta_(x))_(3)Sb_(5)(x = 0.12) crystals exhibit a pronounced two-fold symmetry of the in-plane angular-dependent magnetoresistance(AMR) in the superconducting state, indicating the anisotropic superconducting properties in the Cs(V_(1-x)Ta_(x))_(3)Sb_(5). Our findings demonstrate that Cs(V_(1-x)Ta_(x))_(3)Sb_(5) with the non-trivial band topology is an excellent platform to explore the superconductivity mechanism and intertwined electronic orders in quantum materials.

Topological superconductors with spin-triplet pairings and Majorana Fermi arcs

We construct a three-dimensional topological superconductor Bogoliubov–de Gennes(BdG)Hamiltonian with the normal state being a three-dimensional topological insulator.By introducing inter-orbital spin-triplet pairings term△3,there are topological Majorana nodes in the bulk and they are connected by Majorana Fermi arcs on the surface,similar to the case of Weyl semimetal.Furthermore,by adding an inversion-breaking term to the normal state,momentum-independent pairing terms with different parities can coexist in the Bd G Hamiltonian,which creates more Majorana modes similar to Andreev bound states and a richer phase diagram.

The Influence of Electron Transfer on Tc in Superconductors

Increase of Tc in Al1−x(SiO2)x cermets with increasing x is caused by electron transfer from the Al grains to the SiO2 phase occupying surface states, expressed by Tc/Tc,max=1−γ⋅n2(*), where n is the electron density in the Al phase and γa characteristic parameter. Decrease of Tc in Pb-Cu-sandwiches is attributed to the electron transfer from the Cu film to the Pb film. γand Tc,maxin equation (*) stands for the influence of the electron-phonon interaction and n2for the influence of the electron-electron Coulomb repulsion on Tc. The result that equation (*) holds for both hole-doped cuprate high-temperature superconductivity (HTSC) and Al1−x(SiO2)x cermets is an important indication that common mechanisms underlie HTSC and classical superconductors. The difference between the two is that in HTSC, electron transfer occurs between different electronic bands, but in Al1−x(SiO2)x cermets between different phases.

Effect of the mixing of s-wave and chiral p-wave pairings on electrical shot noise properties of normal metal/superconductor tunnel junctions

We study theoretically the electrical shot noise properties of tunnel junctions between a normal metal and a superconductor with the mixture of singlet s-wave and chiral triplet p-wave pairing due to broken inversion symmetry. We investigate how the shot noise properties vary as the relative amplitude between the two parity components in the pairing potential is changed. It is demonstrated that some characteristics of the electrical shot noise properties of such tunnel junctions may depend sensitively on the relative amplitude between the two parity components in the pairing potential, and some significant changes may occur in the electrical shot noise properties when the relative amplitude between the two parity components is varied from the singlet s-wave pairing dominated regime to the chiral triplet p-wave pairing dominated regime. In the chiral triplet p-wave pairing dominated regime, the ratio of noise power to electric current is close to 2e both in the in-gap and in the out-gap region. In the singlet s-wave pairing dominated regime, the value of this ratio is close to 4e in the inner gap region but may reduce to about 2e in the outer gap region as the relative amplitude of the chiral triplet pairing component is increased. The variations of the differential shot noise with the bias voltage also exhibit some significantly different features in different regimes. Such different features can serve as useful diagnostic tools for the determination of the relative magnitude of the two parity components in the pairing potential.

High Harmonic Spectroscopy Retrieves Electronic Structure of High-pressure Superconductors

High pressure has revealed surprising physics and creates novel states in condensed matter.Exciting examples include near-roomtemperature superconductivity(T_(c)>200 K)in highlypressured hydrides such as H_(3)S and LaH_(10).

Electronic Structure Investigation of 12442 Iron-Based Superconductors Based on Block-Layer Model

Superconducting transition temperature(Tc),as a crucial parameter,exploring its relationship with various macroscopic and microscopic factors helps to understand the mechanism of high-temperature superconductivity from multiple perspectives,aiding in a multidimensional comprehension of high-temperature superconductivity mechanisms.Drawing inspiration from the block-layer structure models of cuprate superconductors,we computationally investigated the interlayer interaction energies in the 12442-type iron-based superconducting materials AkCa_(2)Fe_(4)As_(4)F_(2)(Ak=K,Rb,Cs)systems based on the block-layer model and explored their relationship with Tc.We observed that an increase in interlayer combinative energy leads to a decrease in Tc,while conversely,a decrease in interlayer combination energy results in an increase in Tc.Further,we found that the contribution of the Fe 3d band structure,especially the 3dz2 orbital,to charge transfer is significant.

Vibrations in Magnet/Superconductor Levitation Systems

The problem of a small magnet levitating above a very thin superconducting disc in the Meissner state is analysed. The dipole-dipole interaction model is employed to derive analytical expressions for the interaction energy, levitation force, magnetic stiffness and frequency of small vibrations about the equilibrium position in two different configurations, i.e. with the magnetic moment parallel and perpendicular to the superconductor. The results show that the frequency of small vibrations decreases with the increasing levitation height for a particular radius of the superconducting disc, which is in good agreement with the experimental results. However, the frequency increases monotonically up to saturation by increasing the radius of the disc for a particular height of the magnet. In addition, the frequency of vibrations is higher when the system is in the vertical configuration than that when the system is in the horizontal configuration.

Crystal chemistry and structural design of iron-based superconductors

The second class of high-temperature superconductors （HTSCs）, iron-based pnictides and chalcogenides, necessarily contain Fe2X2 （＂X＂ refers to a pnictogen or a chalcogen element） layers, just like the first class of HTSCs which possess the essential CuO2 sheets. So far, dozens of iron-based HTSCs, classified into nine groups, have been discovered. In this article, the crystal-chemistry aspects of the known iron-based superconductors are reviewed and summarized by employing ＂hard and soft acids and bases （HSAB）＂ concept. Based on these understandings, we propose an alternative route to exploring new iron-based superconductors via rational structural design.

High-magnetic-field induced charge order in high-T_c cuprate superconductors

In the last few years, charge order and its entanglement with superconductivity are under hot debate in high-Tc community due to the new progress on charge order in high-Tc cuprate superconductors YBa2Cu3O6+x. Here, we will briefly introduce the experimental status of this field and mainly focus on the experimental progress of high-field nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR) study on charge order in YBa2Cu3O6+x. The pioneering high-field NMR work in YBa2Cu3O6+x sets a new stage for studying charge order which has become a ubiquitous phenomenon in high-Tc cuprate superconductors.

Angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy study on iron-based superconductors

Angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy （ARPES） has played an important role in determining the band structure and the superconducting gap structure of iron-based superconductors. In this paper, from the ARPES perspective, we briefly review the main results from our group in recent years on the iron-based superconductors and their parent compounds, and depict our current understanding on the antiferromagnetism and superconductivity in these materials.