Evidence of an atomistic universal structural entity for high-temperature superconductivity

• Published in: Journal of applied physics Vol. 83; no. 3; pp. 1540 - 1548
• Main Authors: Blackstead, Howard A., Dow, John D.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 01.02.1998
• ISSN: 0021-8979; 1089-7550
• DOI: 10.1063/1.366863

Evidence is presented that the spatial regions responsible for superconductivity in NdBa2Cu3O7, Nd2−zCezCuO4, and Nd2−zCezSr2Cu2NbO10 are different in the three materials, based on the locations of the superconducting condensates as extracted from: pair-breaking data, the locations of the charge reservoirs, the effects of Ce doping, crystal-field splitting, and the different charges on the Nd2−zCezCuO4 in “free” bulk Nd2−zCezCuO4 and in “superlattice” Nd2−zCezCuO4/SrO/NbO2/SrO/CuO2/. Analyses show that the universal entity responsible for superconductivity is not a spatially extended or planar structure, but is atomistic charge-reservoir oxygen. This suggests that Ba1−aKaPb1−bBibCu3 should be reclassified as a high-temperature oxide superconductor, with Tc≈32 K for b→1. Predictions of the critical temperatures of Nd2−zCezSr2Cu2NbO10 and Nd2−zCezSr2Cu2TaO10, based on this picture, are successful.