Stripe order and superconductivity in the mechanically milled La1.6−xNd0.4SrxCuO4

Abstract

We examine the effect of mechanical milling on the superconducting transition temperature Tc in stripe-ordered La1.6−xNd0.4SrxCuO4 with x∼1/8. The X-ray diffraction patterns of samples milled for 24h show that the orthorhombicity is slightly reduced, in addition to the reduction of crystallite size and the increase of lattice strain, by mechanical milling. The Tc is enhanced by the mechanical milling, although the magnitude of the diamagnetic signal is largely suppressed. The enhancement of Tc suggests that the static stripe is suppressed in the mechanically milled sample.