Abstract
Electrons were doped into the β-form layered metal nitride chloride MNCl (M = Zr, Hf) by intercalation of rare-earth metals RE (RE = Eu, Yb) using liquid ammonia solutions. The intercalated compounds REx(NH3)yMNCl show superconductivity with transition temperatures Tc of ∼13 and 24.3 K for M = Zr and Hf, respectively, quite similar to the alkali metal intercalated analogs. The paramagnetic characteristics for Eu2+ and Yb3+ can coexist with superconductivity. The magnetic resistance measured on the uniaxially oriented Eu0.08(NH3)yHfNCl with the magnetic field parallel to the ab plane (‖ ab) and the c axis (‖ c) shows a strong anisotropic effect on the upper critical field Hc2; a large anisotropic parameter suggests a pseudo-two-dimensional superconductivity. The Tc of Eu0.13(THF)yHfNCl is shifted toward a higher value of 25.8 K upon expansion of the interlayer spacing from 11.9 to 17.5 Å by co-intercalation of voluminous organic molecules such as tetrahydrofuran.
Published Version
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