Document Detail


Scale-free structural organization of oxygen interstitials in La(2)CuO(4+y).
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  20703301     Owner:  NLM     Status:  PubMed-not-MEDLINE    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
It is well known that the microstructures of the transition-metal oxides, including the high-transition-temperature (high-T(c)) copper oxide superconductors, are complex. This is particularly so when there are oxygen interstitials or vacancies, which influence the bulk properties. For example, the oxygen interstitials in the spacer layers separating the superconducting CuO(2) planes undergo ordering phenomena in Sr(2)O(1+y)CuO(2) (ref. 9), YBa(2)Cu(3)O(6+y) (ref. 10) and La(2)CuO(4+y) (refs 11-15) that induce enhancements in the transition temperatures with no changes in hole concentrations. It is also known that complex systems often have a scale-invariant structural organization, but hitherto none had been found in high-T(c) materials. Here we report that the ordering of oxygen interstitials in the La(2)O(2+y) spacer layers of La(2)CuO(4+y) high-T(c) superconductors is characterized by a fractal distribution up to a maximum limiting size of 400 mum. Intriguingly, these fractal distributions of dopants seem to enhance superconductivity at high temperature.
Authors:
Michela Fratini; Nicola Poccia; Alessandro Ricci; Gaetano Campi; Manfred Burghammer; Gabriel Aeppli; Antonio Bianconi
Publication Detail:
Type:  Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't    
Journal Detail:
Title:  Nature     Volume:  466     ISSN:  1476-4687     ISO Abbreviation:  Nature     Publication Date:  2010 Aug 
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2010-08-12     Completed Date:  2010-10-04     Revised Date:  -    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  0410462     Medline TA:  Nature     Country:  England    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  841-4     Citation Subset:  -    
Affiliation:
Department of Physics, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 2, 00185 Roma, Italy.
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Comment In:
Nature. 2010 Aug 12;466(7308):825-7   [PMID:  20703295 ]

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