Navigating the high-T_c Pairing Landscapes of Nickelates Superconductivity: an Experimentalist’s Perspective

While Ni¹⁺ of d⁹ electronic structure was introduced as a promising high-T_c superconductor that could resemble the Cu²⁺ state in cuprates, both theoretical calculations and experimental evidence suggest that d⁹ nickelate superconductivity is not the same as cuprates’ after all [1-4], and high-temperature superconductivity remains elusive in the d⁹ nickelate. Through the observation of dimensionality control [4] with the choice of dopants and rare-earth elements, we postulate a much wider pairing landscape in the d⁹ nickelate superconductivity which can be accessible by, for example, synthesizing a more two-dimensional infinite-layer nickelate – the Ba-doped LaNiO₂ which should make a closer resemblance to the single-band Hubbard model. In this presentation, we will present our ongoing experimental effort in synthesizing ambient-pressure high-T_c d⁹ nickelate superconductor, as well as our recent advancement in the growth of high-quality samples with a large residual-resistivity-ratio RRR up to ~ 13, and low residual resistivities at the order of few ~ 10 µΩ.cm.



[1] K. W. Lee, W. E. Pickett, Phys. Rev. B - Condens. Matter Mater. Phys. 70 (2004) 1-7

[2] L. E. Chow et. al., arXiv:2201.10038

[3] L. E. Chow et. al., arXiv:2204.12606

[4] L. E. Chow et. al., arXiv:2301.07606