CuO2 Planes Research Articles

Nuclear-spin evidence of insulating and antiferromagnetic state of CuO2 planes in superconducting Pr2Ba4Cu7O15−δ

In contrast to the “Pr-issue” that neither PrBa2Cu3O7 (Pr123) nor PrBa2Cu4O8 (Pr124) shows superconductivity (SC), we have observed 100%-fraction of SC in an oxygen-reduced Pr2Ba4Cu7O15−δ (Pr247) which has a hybrid structure that Pr247 = Pr123 + Pr124. It is found that Cu nuclear-spin signals from the CuO2 planes observed at 300 K are completely wiped out at 2 K. Instead, the plane signals at 2 K are observed at higher frequencies. This indicates that, despite the bulk SC, the CuO2 planes in Pr247 are found to be in an insulating and antiferromagnetically ordered state.

Model of charge triplets for high-[formula omitted] cuprates

Starting with a minimal model for the CuO2 planes with the on-site Hilbert space reduced to a charge triplet of the three effective valence centers [CuO4]7−,6−,5− (nominally Cu1+,2+,3+) with different conventional spin, different orbital symmetry, and different local lattice configuration, we develop a unified non-BCS spin–pseudospin model to describe the main phase states of doped cuprates. We argue that antiferromagnetic insulating, charge ordered, superconducting, and Fermi-liquid phases are possible phase states of a model parent cuprate, while typical phase state of a doped cuprate, in particular mysterious pseudogap phase, is a result of a phase separation. Superconductivity of cuprates is not a consequence of pairing of doped holes, but the result of quantum transport of on-site composite hole bosons, whereas main peculiarities of normal state can be related to an electron–hole interplay for unusual Fermi-liquid phase and features of the phase separation. Puzzlingly, but it is the electron–lattice interaction, which in the BCS model determines s-wave pairing, in the model of local composite bosons gives dx2−y2-symmetry of the superconducting order parameter, thus showing once again a substantial involvement of the lattice in the cuprate’s HTSC.

The origin of opto-functional enhancement in ZnO/CuO nanoforest structure fabricated by submerged photosynthesis

Semiconductor hetero-nanostructures are of great interest for practical industry use. In this report, we demonstrated ZnO/CuO nanoforest (NFRs) fabricated by galvanic submerged photo-synthesis (G-SPSC) method, which utilizes light illumination in pure water without additives. For the first time, we elucidated the origin of its enhanced opto-functional properties. At the hetero-epitaxial interface, ZnO(001)/CuO(001) planes linkage were established, even though with 13.62 – 28.15% local lattice discrepancies along the c axis. Formed under Zn rich condition and photo-induced {110} ZnO surface, the NFRs exhibited photoluminescence emissions at 450 nm and 650 nm, due to zinc interstitial (IZn) and oxygen vacancies (VO). Ternary oxide of ZnCuO2 was discovered. The interface exhibited significant emission at 650 – 700 nm and absorbance at 450 – 500 nm. On the basis of STEM-VEELS spectra and ab initio calculations, electrons occupancy at Cu 3p was responsible for 2.0 eV peak of the interface absorption coefficient. In particular, an interface dipole under interface-induced gap states (IFIGS) was clarified, caused by quasi defects zinc antisite (ZnO). This led to an incommensurate charge density (ICCD) for a coherent ZnO(001)/CuO(001) interface. This is the origin for the opto-functional enhancement of the ZnO/CuO NFRs, where a maximum 12% IPCE at 550 nm, a 20% increase from similar NFRs morphology was demonstrated. Our results indicated a promising method and strategy for novel hetero-epitaxial nanostructures fabrication in the field of optoelectrical devices.

Компьютерное моделирование наноскопических фазово-неоднородных состояний и фазовых диаграмм ВТСП купратов и никелатов

More than 35 years of experience in the study of cuprate superconductors shows that the main characteristics of the phase diagram can only be obtained by taking into account mesoscopic static/dynamic phase inhomogeneity as a key property of these materials. Within a minimal model for the CuO2 planes with the on-site Hilbert space reduced to only three effective valence centers [CuO4]7-,6-,5- (nominally Cu1+,2+,3+) with different conventional spin and different orbital symmetry we propose a unified non-BCS model that allows one to describe the main features of the phase diagrams of doped cuprates within the framework of a simple effective field theory. Using Maxwell's construction, the global nature of the electronic phase separation in the CuO2 planes of HTSC cuprates is established, which makes it possible to understand and explain many fundamental features of the physics of the normal and superconducting state of cuprates, including the mechanism of formation of the HTSC and pseudogap phase. The features of phase-inhomogeneous states and their evolution with temperature and doping degree, including the special role of the impurity potential in cuprates/nickelates with nonisovalent substitution, are considered for particular examples of the charge triplet model in the framework of the classical Monte Carlo method.

Computer simulation of nanoscopic phase-inhomogeneous states and phase diagrams of HTSC cuprates and nickelates

More than 35 years of experience in the study of cuprate superconductors shows that the main characteristics of the phase diagram can only be obtained by taking into account mesoscopic static/dynamic phase inhomogeneity as a key property of these materials. Within a minimal model for the CuO2/NiO2 planes with the on-site Hilbert space reduced to only three effective valence centers [CuO4]7-,6-,5- (nominally Cu1+,2+,3+) with different conventional spin and different orbital symmetry we propose a unified non-BCS model that allows one to describe the main features of the phase diagrams of doped cuprates within the framework of a simple effective field theory. Using Maxwell's construction, the global nature of the electronic phase separation in the CuO2 planes of HTSC cuprates is established, which makes it possible to understand and explain many fundamental features of the physics of the normal and superconducting state of cuprates, including the mechanism of formation of the HTSC and pseudogap phase. The features of phase-inhomogeneous states and their evolution with temperature and doping degree, including the special role of the impurity potential in cuprates/nickelates with nonisovalent substitution, are considered for particular examples of the charge triplet model in the framework of the classical Monte Carlo method. Keywords: cuprates, nickelates, effective field theory, phase diagram, phase separation, Monte-Carlo.

Enhancement of superexchange due to synergetic breathing and hopping in corner-sharing cuprates

Cuprates with corner-sharing CuO4 plaquettes have received much attention owing to the discoveries of high-temperature superconductivity and exotic states where spin and charge or spin and orbital degrees of freedom are separated. In these systems spins are strongly coupled antiferromagnetically via superexchange mechanisms, with high nearest-neighbour coupling varying among different compounds. The electronic properties of cuprates are also known to be highly sensitive to the presence, distance and displacement of apical oxygens perpendicular to the CuO2 planes. Here we present ab initio quantum chemistry calculations of the nearest-neighbour superexchange antiferromagnetic (AF) coupling J of two cuprates, Sr2CuO3 and La2CuO4. The former lacks apical oxygens, whilst the latter contain two apical oxygens per CuO2 unit completing a distorted octahedral environment around each Cu atom. Good agreement is obtained with experimental estimates for both systems. Analysis of the correlated wavefunctions together with extended superexchange models shows that there is an important synergetic effect of the Coulomb interaction and the O–Cu hopping, namely a correlated breathing-enhanced hopping mechanism. This is a new ingredient in superexchange models. Suppression of this mechanism leads to drastic reduction in the AF coupling, indicating that it is of primary importance in generating the strong interactions. We also find that J increases substantially as the distance between Cu and apical O is increased.

Evolution of Charge-Lattice Dynamics across the Kuramoto Synchronization Phase Diagram of Quantum Tunneling Polarons in Cuprate Superconductors

Because of its sensitivity to the instantaneous structure factor, S(Q,t = 0), Extended X-ray Absorption Fine Structure (EXAFS) is a powerful tool for probing the dynamic structure of condensed matter systems in which the charge and lattice dynamics are coupled. When applied to hole-doped cuprate superconductors, EXAFS has revealed the presence of internal quantum tunneling polarons (IQTPs). An IQTP arises in EXAFS as a two-site distribution for certain Cu–O pairs, which is also duplicated in inelastic scattering but not observed in standard diffraction measurements. The Cu–Sr pair distribution has been found to be highly anharmonic and strongly correlated to both the IQTPs and to superconductivity, as, for example, in YSr2Cu2.75Mo0.25O7.54(Tc=84 K). In order to describe such nontrivial, anharmonic charge-lattice dynamics, we have proposed a model Hamiltonian for a prototype six-atom cluster, in which two Cu-apical-O IQTPs are charge-transfer bridged through Cu atoms by an O atom in the CuO2 plane and are anharmonically coupled via a Sr atom. By applying an exact diagonalization procedure to this cluster, we have verified that our model indeed produces an intricate interplay between charge and lattice dynamics. Then, by using the Kuramoto model for the synchronization of coupled quantum oscillators, we have found a first-order phase transition for the IQTPs into a synchronized, phase-locked phase. Most importantly, we have shown that this transition results specifically from the anharmonicity. Finally, we have provided a phase diagram showing the onset of the phase-locking of IQTPs as a function of the charge-lattice and anharmonic couplings in our model. We have found that the charge, initially confined to the apical oxygens, is partially pumped into the CuO2 plane in the synchronized phase, which suggests a possible connection between the synchronized dynamic structure and high-temperature superconductivity (HTSC) in doped cuprates.

Direct observation of nodeless superconductivity and phonon modes in electron-doped copper oxide Sr1-xNdxCuO2.

The microscopic understanding of high-temperature superconductivity in cuprates has been hindered by the apparent complexity of crystal structures in these materials. We used scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy to study the electron-doped copper oxide compound Sr1−xNdxCuO2, which has only bare cations separating the CuO2 planes and thus the simplest infinite-layer structure of all cuprate superconductors. Tunneling conductance spectra of the major CuO2 planes in the superconducting state revealed direct evidence for a nodeless pairing gap, regardless of variation of its magnitude with the local doping of trivalent neodymium. Furthermore, three distinct bosonic modes are observed as multiple peak-dip-hump features outside the superconducting gaps and their respective energies depend little on the spatially varying gaps. As well as the bosonic modes, with energies identical to those of the external, bending and stretching phonons of copper oxides, our findings reveal the origin of the bosonic modes in lattice vibrations rather than spin excitations.

Excess Conductivity Analyses in Bi-Pb-Sr-Ca-Cu-O Systems Sintered at Different Temperatures

This paper studies the effects of the sintering temperature on crystal structure, critical temperature (Tc) and excess conductivity of Bi-Pb-Sr-Ca-Cu-O (BPSCCO) system. Bulk BPSCCO samples were fabricated by the solid-state reaction method. Four different temperatures of 835 °C, 840 °C, 845 °C, and 850 °C were applied to sinter four different samples. The crystal structure of the samples was investigated through X-ray diffraction measurements (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Superconductivity of the samples was analyzed by the temperature-dependent resistivity measurement. The experimental results showed the existence of both Bi-2223 and Bi-2212 phases in all samples. Quantitatively, the volume fraction of the Bi-2223 phase was found to increase from 53.56% to 75.97%, and the average grain size of Bi-2223 phase was observed to enlarge from 57.95 nm to 86.50 nm as the sintering temperature increased from 835 °C to 850 °C. In addition, the excess conductivity analyses based on the theory of Aslamazov - Larkin (AL) and Lawrence - Doniach (LD) showed decreases in the coherence lengths (ξc(0)) from 1.957 Å to 1.565 Å and the effective inter-layering spacing (d) from 79.7 Å to 64.5 Å. Meanwhile, the interlayer coupling strength (J) between two CuO2 planes was estimated to increase from 0.00083 to 0.00137. These results might be evidence to conclude that the increasing of the sintering temperature obviously improves the superconductivity in the BPSCCO system.
 

RETRACTED: Synthesis, Characterization and Photodegradation Studies of Copper Oxide–Graphene Nanocomposites

In this work, a simple hydrothermal method was employed to prepare a pristine sample of copper oxide (CuO) and three samples of copper oxide–graphene nanocomposites (CuO-xG) with x = 2.5, 5, and 10 mg of graphene. The synthesized samples were characterized using X-ray powder diffractometry (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and ultraviolet–visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy. The XRD patterns of CuO-xG nanocomposites exhibited the diffraction peaks related to the crystal planes of monoclinic CuO and hexagonal graphite. The surface morphology of the prepared samples was investigated using FESEM images. EDX analysis was used to investigate the chemical composition of the synthesized samples. FTIR spectroscopy identified the vibrational modes of the covalent bonds present in the samples. The allowed direct optical bandgap energy was calculated for all prepared samples using UV-Vis absorption spectra. The small bandgap of CuO-xG nanocomposites indicates their potential use as an effective photocatalyst in the presence of visible light. Photocatalytic activity of the samples was explored for the degradation of methylene blue (MB) dye contaminant under visible light irradiation. The results showed that the CuO-5G sample has the highest photodegradation efficiency (~56%).

Atomic Stripe Formation in Infinite-Layer Cuprates.

High-temperature superconductivity appears in cuprate materials that have been tuned in a way where the copper–oxygen bond configuration and coordination is in a state of minimal energy. In competition with the Jahn–Teller effect, which impedes the formation of infinitely connected CuO2 planes, the state of minimal energy persists for planar copper–oxygen bond length variations of up to 10%. We have synthesized the infinite-layer phases of CaCuO2 and SrCuO2 as single-crystalline films using molecular beam epitaxy and performed in-plane scanning transmission electron microscopy mapping. For the infinite-layer phase of CaCuO2 with a short Cu–O bond length, the CuO2 planes maintain their minimal energy by forming distinguished atomic stripes. In contrast, atomic stripe formation does not occur in the infinite-layer phase of SrCuO2, which has a larger Cu–O bond length. The polar field provided by the charge reservoir layer in cuprates with infinitely connected CuO2 planes holds the key over the emergence of superconductivity and is vital to maintain infinitely connected CuO2 planes themselves.

Quantitative phase analysis of Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+x and competing intergrowth and co-crystallizing phases via a Rietveld refinement study

The Rietveld refinement technique has been used to determine the extent of intergrowth of the Bi2Sr2CuO6+x phase and co-crystallization of competing phases in the high-temperature superconductor Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+x (Bi-2212). The refinement was done on powder diffractograms obtained on powders made by grinding single crystals of Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+x grown using two different self-flux techniques, namely the pressure technique and the regrowth technique, and ground for either 2 min or 2 h. The Rietveld programs JANA and FULLPROF were used for the refinement and both gave consistent results. The Bi and Sr atom positions were refined in the average structure of centrosymmetric space group Bbmb. To incorporate Bi-atom modulation and extract information about the modulation vector, refinement was done in the centrosymmetric space group N^{Bbmb}_{1\overline 11}(Bbmb(0γ1)). The b* component of the modulation vector decreases with a decrease in the superconducting transition temperature in the pressure-technique sample compared with the regrowth sample, suggesting a better alignment of the CuO2 planes with respect to the Bi–O planes in the pressure-technique sample. All the samples exhibit a strong preferred orientation effect. Values of the March–Dollase parameters corresponding to the preferred orientation function were obtained. Brindley absorption contrast factors t ϕ were also calculated, together with the effect of microabsorption on the number of phases present in each sample. Rietveld refinements incorporating all the factors resulted in excellent values for the goodness-of-fit parameters for all the samples, with the lowest value of 2.08 for the pressure-technique sample ground for 2 min. Additionally, the powders corresponding to the pressure-technique crystals have no co-crystallizing phase and ∼94% of the Bi-2212 phase, suggesting that crystals grown by the pressure technique are of extremely good quality, much better than those grown by the regrowth flux technique.

Effective-Field Theory for Model High-Tc Cuprates

Starting with a minimal model for the CuO2 planes with the on-site Hilbert space reduced to only three effective valence centers [CuO4]7−,6−,5− (nominally Cu1+,2+,3+) with different conventional spin and different orbital symmetry, we propose a unified non-BCS model that allows one to describe the main features of the phase diagrams of doped cuprates within the framework of a simple effective field theory. Unconventional bosonic superconducting phase related with a two-particle quantum transport is shown to compete with antiferromagnetic insulating phase, charge order, and metallic Fermi liquid via phase separation regime.

Antiferromagnetic Order and Spin-Canting Transition in the Corrugated Square Net Compound Cu3(TeO4)(SO4)·H2O.

Strongly correlated electrons in layered perovskite structures have been the birthplace of high-temperature superconductivity, spin liquids, and quantum criticality. Specifically, the cuprate materials with layered structures made of corner-sharing square-planar CuO4 units have been intensely studied due to their Mott insulating ground state, which leads to high-temperature superconductivity upon doping. Identifying new compounds with similar lattice and electronic structures has become a challenge in solid-state chemistry. Here, we report the hydrothermal crystal growth of a new copper tellurite sulfate, Cu3(TeO4)(SO4)·H2O, a promising alternative to layered perovskites. The orthorhombic phase (space group Pnma) is made of corrugated layers of corner-sharing CuO4 square-planar units that are edge-shared with TeO4 units. The layers are linked by slabs of corner-sharing CuO4 and SO4. Using both the bond valence sum analysis and magnetization data, we find purely Cu2+ ions within the layers but a mixed valence of Cu2+/Cu+ between the layers. Cu3(TeO4)(SO4)·H2O undergoes an antiferromagnetic transition at TN = 67 K marked by a peak in the magnetic susceptibility. Upon further cooling, a spin-canting transition occurs at T* = 12 K, evidenced by a kink in the heat capacity. The spin-canting transition is explained on the basis of a J1-J2 model of magnetic interactions, which is consistent with the slightly different in-plane superexchange paths. We present Cu3(TeO4)(SO4)·H2O as a promising platform for the future doping and strain experiments that could tune the Mott insulating ground state into superconducting or spin liquid states.

Atomically-resolved interlayer charge ordering and its interplay with superconductivity in YBa2Cu3O6.81

High-temperature superconductive (SC) cuprates exhibit not only a SC phase, but also competing orders, suppressing superconductivity. Charge order (CO) has been recognized as an important competing order, but its microscopic spatial interplay with SC phase as well as the interlayer coupling in CO and SC phases remain elusive, despite being essential for understanding the physical mechanisms of competing orders and hence superconductivity. Here we report the achievement of direct real-space imaging with atomic-scale resolution of cryogenically cleaved YBa2Cu3O6.81 using cross-sectional scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy. CO nanodomains are found embedded in the SC phase with a proximity-like boundary region characterized by mutual suppression of CO and superconductivity. Furthermore, SC coherence as well as CO occur on both CuO chain and plane layers, revealing carrier transport and density of states mixing between layers. The CO antiphase correlation along the c direction suggests a dominance of Coulomb repulsion over Josephson tunneling between adjacent layers.

Influence of pseudo-gap and interlayer coupling on isotope effect in bilayer cuprate superconductors

The present investigations deal with the study of the isotope effect in bilayer cuprate superconductors. We have considered the BCS-effective Hamiltonian that includes the intra and inter-layer kinetic energies and in plane attractive interaction responsible for pairing in these systems. In order to look for pseudo-gap having momentum dependence of the form of d-wave superconducting order parameter, a pseudo-gap order parameter is also introduced in the in-plane quasi-particle energy. Such a model calculation can be applicable for the high Tc cuprates like Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+x having two CuO2 planes per unit cell and also for several other cuprate systems with a possibility to extend for the multi-layer cuprates. Employing Green's function formalism, we obtain the expressions for the superconducting order parameter and hence the isotope effect coefficient as a function of interlayer coupling, transition temperature and pseudo-gap order parameter. On the basis of numerical computation, we have pointed out that isotope effect increases due to coupling between the planes and decreases with the transition temperature. The presence of phenomenological pseudo-gap parameter in the quasi-particle spectrum enhances the isotope effect. These results are viewed in terms of recent experimental works on isotope effect in layered cuprate superconductors.

Structural and Electronic Properties of Ag-Doped in Ba-Site of YBa<sub>2-x</sub>Ag<sub>x</sub>Cu<sub>3</sub>O<sub>δ</sub> Using Density Functional Theory via First Principle Study

This study reports on the First Principle Study via Density Functional Theory (DFT) used to determine the structural and electronic properties of Ag-dopant in Ba-site of YBa2-xAgxCu3Oδ superconductor. The computational method adopting CASTEP computational code was used to calculate the structural and electronic properties for Ag-dopant in range of x=0.150 to x=0.250 in Ba-site of YBa2-xAgxCu3Oδ to enhance the performance finding of experimental work shown at dopant x=0.20 ceramic superconductor. The structural changes in terms of lattice parameters were compared as the percentage of dopant increases to seek both CuO chain and CuO2 plane bond length and the spontaneous strain variance on the structure orthorhombicity. The crystal structure constructed and calculated using Visual Crystal Approximation (VCA) applying the local density approximation (LDA) and ultrasoft pseuodopotential. Geometry optimization shown energy converged at 400 eV with k-point sampling of 4x4x1. The structural properties of YBa2-xAgxCu3Oδ are observed to be approximately close to the experimental data obtained by other researches. The electronic properties were determined via energy band gap, density of states and electron energy differences visualisation a to further enhance the experimental findings.

Apical oxygen vibrations dominant role in d-wave cuprate superconductivity and its interplay with spin fluctuations

Microscopic theory of a high T c cuprate Bi 2 Sr 2 CaCu 2 O 8+x based on main pairing channel of electrons in CuO planes due to 40mev lateral vibrations of the apical oxygen atoms in adjacent the SrO ionic insulator layer is proposed. The separation between the vibrating charged atoms and the 2D electron gas creates the forward scattering peak leading in turn to the d -wave pairing within Eliashberg formalism. The phonon mode naturally explain the kink in dispersion relation observed by ARPES and the and effect of the O 16 → O 18 isotope substitution in the normal state. To describe the pseudogap physics a single band fourfold symmetric Hubbard model, with the hopping parameters and the on site repulsion e U ∼ 6t. It described the Mott insulator at low doping, while at higher dopping the pseudogap physics (still strongly correlated) can be be approximated by the symmetrized mean field model and with renormalized U incorporating screening. The location of the transition line T *between the locally antiferromagnetic pseudogap and the paramagnetic overdoped phases and susceptibility (describing spin fluctuations coupling to 2DEG) are also obtained within this approximation. The superconducting d - wave gap mainly due to the phonon channel but is assisted by the spin fluctuations (15%–20%). The dependence of the gap and T c on doping and effect of the isotope substitution are obtained and is consistent with experiments.

Fermi surface in La-based cuprate superconductors from Compton scattering imaging

Compton scattering provides invaluable information on the underlying Fermi surface (FS) and is a powerful tool complementary to angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy and quantum oscillation measurements. Here we perform high-resolution Compton scattering measurements for La2−xSrxCuO4 with x = 0.08 (Tc = 20 K) at 300 K and 150 K, and image the momentum distribution function in the two-dimensional Brillouin zone. We find that the observed images cannot be reconciled with the conventional hole-like FS believed so far. Instead, our data imply that the FS is strongly deformed by the underlying nematicity in each CuO2 plane, but the bulk FSs recover the fourfold symmetry. We also find an unusually strong temperature dependence of the momentum distribution function, which may originate from the pseudogap formation in the presence of the reconstructed FSs due to the underlying nematicity. Additional measurements for x = 0.15 and 0.30 at 300 K suggest similar FS deformation with weaker nematicity, which nearly vanishes at x = 0.30.

Depression of critical temperature due to residual strain induced by PLD deposition on YBa2Cu3O7-δ thin films

We present the study of a high Tc superconductor under residual strain. We study the growth of a series of thin films of YBa2Cu3O7−δ (YBCO) using the Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD) technique. The samples exhibit a residual in-plane compressive strain, whose degree depends on the growth conditions and the thickness of the film, and which alters the superconducting behavior. A thorough characterization of the system, correlating structural and superconducting properties is presented. Raman spectroscopy is introduced to characterize the samples and rule out oxygen loss effects. A possible explanation for the nearly linear depression of the critical temperature Tc with c-axis expansion was introduced, in terms of the mutual Coulomb screening of charge fluctuations along the c-axis, between consecutive CuO2 planes in the structure.