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Title: Structure and equation of state of Bi2Sr2Can−1CunO2n+4+δ from x-ray diffraction to megabar pressures
Pressure is a unique tuning parameter for probing the properties of materials, and it has been particularly useful for studies of electronic materials such as high-temperature cuprate superconductors. Here we report the effects of quasihydrostatic compression produced by a neon pressure medium on the structures of bismuth-based high-Tc cuprate superconductors with the nominal composition Bi2Sr2Can−1CunO2n+4+δ (n = 1, 2, 3) up to 155 GPa. The structures of all three compositions obtained by synchrotron x-ray diffraction can be described as pseudotetragonal over the entire pressure range studied. We show that previously reported pressure-induced distortions and structural changes arise from the large strains that can be induced in these layered materials by nonhydrostatic stresses. The pressure-volume equations of state (EOS) measured under these quasihydrostatic conditions cannot be fit to single phenomenological formulation over the pressure ranges studied, starting below 20 GPa. This intrinsic anomalous compression as well as the sensitivity of Bi2Sr2Can−1CunO2n+4+δ to deviatoric stresses provide explanations for the numerous inconsistencies in reported EOS parameters for these materials. We conclude that the anomalous compressional behavior of all three compositions is a manifestation of the changes in electronic properties that are also responsible for the remarkable nonmonotonic dependence of Tc with pressure, including the increase in Tc at the highest pressures studied so far for each. Transport and spectroscopic measurements up to megabar pressures are needed to fully characterize these cuprates and explore higher possible critical temperatures in these materials.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
2104881
NSF-PAR ID:
10488391
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;
Corporate Creator(s):
Editor(s):
-
Publisher / Repository:
DOE Pages
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Physical Review Materials
Edition / Version:
1
Volume:
7
Issue:
6
ISSN:
2475-9953
Page Range / eLocation ID:
064803
Format(s):
Medium: X Size: 3.7MB Other: pdf
Size(s):
["3.7MB"]
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
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