Abstract
The superconducting phase YBa2Cu4O8 ('124') differs from YBa2Cu3O7 ('123') in having a double, instead of single, Cu–O chain running parallel to the b axis. It was first observed as a lattice defect in partly decomposed 123 powders1, and then as an ordered defect structure in inhomogeneous 123 thin films2,3, but has not up to now been synthesized in bulk. As part of a systematic study of the pressure–temperature–composition phase diagram of pseudo-binary Y–Ba–Cu–O systems at high oxygen pressure4,5, we have determined the approximate field of thermodynamic stability of the 124 phase. Here we report synthesis of the phase in bulk at 400 bar O2 and 1,040 °C. In agreement with previous measurements in thin films, the transition temperature is 81 K. Unlike the 123 compound, the oxygen content in 124 is thermally stable up to 850 °C, which may prove important for applications.
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Karpinski, J., Kaldis, E., Jilek, E. et al. Bulk synthesis of the 81-K superconductor YBa2Cu4O8 at high oxygen pressure. Nature 336, 660–662 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1038/336660a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/336660a0
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