Superconductivity in Thin-film Nickelates: Materials Synthesis

Developing new techniques to design and discover novel superconductors, especially those with unusual symmetries of superconducting order parameters and/or exotic pairing mechanisms, opens new doors to future applications in quantum devices. The recent discovery of superconductivity in infinite-layer nickelates has engendered reviving interest in the study of a cuprate-analog system [1]. Notably, superconducting nickelates display signatures of intriguing similarities and distinctions to the cuprates in their phase diagrams, proximity to strongly correlated electronic phases [2], antiferromagnetic interactions [3], superconducting anisotropy [4], etc. Partially owing to the non-trivial challenges in materials synthesis and their thin-film nature [5], experimental demonstration of the intrinsic properties of this materials family has still been limited. In this talk, I will introduce this new family of superconductors synthesized by a soft-chemistry approach and highlight the key aspects of their electronic and magnetic structure. I will also present our latest developments in synthetic approaches to the nickelate materials system and probing of their distinct features, in a broader context of the unusual role that rare-earth elements and chemical environment play.<br/><br/>[1] D. Li <i>et al.</i>, <i>Nature</i> <b>572</b>, 624 (2019).<br/>[2] D. Li <i>et al</i>., <i>Physical Review Letters</i> <b>125</b>, 27001 (2020).<br/>[3] H. Lu <i>et al.</i>, <i>Science</i> <b>373</b>, 213 (2021).<br/>[4] B. Y. Wang et al., <i>Nature Physics</i> <b>17</b>, 473 (2021).<br/>[5] K. Lee <i>et al.</i>, <i>APL Materials</i> <b>8</b>, 041107 (2020).