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Phase Separation in RbxFe2−ySe2 Probed by Non-stoichiometry and Cu Doping

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Abstract

The paper presents Mössbauer spectroscopy investigation on superconducting Rb 0.8Fe 1.6Se 2 exhibiting nanoscale phase separation and two its derivatives: Cu-doped Rb 0.8Fe 1.56Cu 0.04Se 2 and Fe-deficient Rb 0.7Fe 1.4Se 2. The spectra reveal the presence of the same dominant magnetic sextet in the samples, which is assigned to the Fe 16i sites of the √5×√5×1 superstructure. This magnetic part is independent on the modification of the sample and does not undergo any changes after doping or deviation of stoichiometry. In contrast, the minor non-magnetic doublet in the spectra of Rb 0.8Fe 1.6Se 2, which is attributed to the superconducting nanoscale phase, is sensitive to such modifications. After doping with Cu, the relative intensity of non-magnetic doublet significantly decreases together with suppression of superconductivity. On the other hand, the Fe-deficient sample is entirely magnetically ordered below 250 K including in the minor nanoscale phase. A discussion of Mössbauer spectroscopic data and comparison with previous studies on other Fe chalcogenide analogues allow to conclude the nanosized phase separation is also observed in non-stoichiometric and doped modifications of Rb 0.8Fe 1.6Se 2.

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Acknowledgments

The financial support provided by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) through grants No. KS51/2-2 and ME3652/1-2 (priority program SPP-1458) is gratefully acknowledged.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry, Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, D-55099, Mainz, Germany

    Sergii I. Shylin & Vadim Ksenofontov

  2. Department of Chemistry, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Volodymyrska 64, Kyiv, 01601, Ukraine

    Sergii I. Shylin

  3. Max Planck Institute for Chemical Physics of Solids, D-01187, Dresden, Germany

    Sergey A. Medvedev & Claudia Felser

  4. Experimental Physics V, University of Augsburg, D-86159, Augsburg, Germany

    Vladimir Tsurkan

  5. Institute of Applied Physics, Academy of Sciences, MD-2028, Chişinău, Republic of Moldova

    Vladimir Tsurkan

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  1. Sergii I. Shylin
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  2. Vadim Ksenofontov
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  3. Sergey A. Medvedev
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  4. Vladimir Tsurkan
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  5. Claudia Felser
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Correspondence to Vadim Ksenofontov.

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Shylin, S.I., Ksenofontov, V., Medvedev, S.A. et al. Phase Separation in RbxFe2−ySe2 Probed by Non-stoichiometry and Cu Doping. J Supercond Nov Magn 28, 1315–1319 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10948-014-2912-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10948-014-2912-6

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