High-Tc superconductivity induced by doping rare-earth elements into CaFeAsF

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Published 1 April 2009 Europhysics Letters Association
, , Citation Peng Cheng et al 2009 EPL 85 67003 DOI 10.1209/0295-5075/85/67003

0295-5075/85/6/67003

Abstract

We have successfully synthesized the fluoride-arsenide compounds Ca1−xRExFeAsF (RE=Nd, Pr; x=0,0.6). The X-ray powder diffraction confirmed that the main phases of our samples are Ca1−xRExFeAsF with the ZrCuSiAs structure. By measuring resistivity, superconductivity was observed at 56 K in Nd-doped and 52 K in Pr-doped samples with x=0.6. Bulk superconductivity was also proved by the DC magnetization measurements in both samples. Hall effect measurements revealed hole-like charge carriers in the parent compound CaFeAsF with a clear resistivity anomaly below 118 K, while the Hall coefficient RH in the normal state is negative for the superconducting samples Ca0.4Nd0.6FeAsF and Ca0.4Pr0.6FeAsF. This indicates that the rare-earth element doping introduces electrons into CaFeAsF, which induces high-temperature superconductivity.

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10.1209/0295-5075/85/67003