Nd. Zhigadlo et al., High-pressure synthesis and properties sf a new oxycarbonitrate superconductors in the Sr-Ca-Cu-N-C-O system, SUPERCOND S, 13(8), 2000, pp. 1246-1251
Recently, oxycarbonitrate superconductors (Cu, N, C)Sr2Can-1CunOy were prep
ared under high pressure. They have M-12(n - 1)n type structures with the M
sites occupied by mixed atoms of (Cu, N, C). The phases with n = 3-6 have
been isolated, identified and characterized. However, the n = 1 and 2 membe
rs have not been reported and it is even unknown whether they exist or not.
In the present study, we performed systematic high-pressure: synthesis exp
eriments for the Sr-Ca-Cu-N-C-O system to find the n = 1 and 2 members. The
n = 1 phase has a somewhat different characteristic, i.e. its M site is oc
cupied only by C and N without partial replacement of Cu, having a composit
ion of (N, C)Sr2CuOy. On the other hand, in the n = 2 phase the M site is o
ccupied by the three atoms Cu, N and C, as in the n = 3-6 members. These tw
o new phases show superconductivity below 33 and 91 K, respectively. The su
perstructure due to an ordered arrangement of Cu, C and N was studied using
a high-resolution electron microscope. A superstructure with 4a x b x 2c r
epresenting a simple tetragonal cell with a, b, c was observed in the n = 2
phase.