Chemists overturn 40-year assumption about a key class of superconductors
Scientists at Warwick have shown that a material treated for 40 years as a uniform, textbook superconductor is in fact a patchwork of different crystal structures throughout its bulk, using an advanced 3D imaging technique to see deep inside the crystal for the first time.
A study published in Physical Review Letters has overturned a 40-year assumption about a key class of superconductors known as cuprates. Scientists at the University of Warwick, in collaboration with the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility in France, used advanced 3D imaging techniques to reveal that these materials are not uniform crystals as previously believed.
Instead, they are patchworks of different crystal structures, separated by unusually wide boundaries. These boundaries, which are hundreds of times wider than expected, behave almost like separate structures within the crystal, rather than simple dividing lines. This structural complexity may explain why some cuprate materials perform better than others and could require a reevaluation of existing bulk measurements and theoretical models.
The researchers believe this hidden structure is likely common in the wider family of cuprate superconductors and possibly in other materials being explored for superconductivity under extreme pressure. The study, led by Professor Mark Senn, highlights the importance of understanding the internal structure of materials to fully comprehend their superconducting properties.
The breakthrough in 3D imaging, made possible by a recent upgrade to the ESRF, opens up the possibility of looking inside a wide range of materials in unprecedented detail to explore how their internal structure shapes their behavior.
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