No Arabic abstract
The magnetization anisotropy of a layered superconductor FeTe0.65Se0.35 sample is experimentally studied in a magnetic field directed either along the layers of the plane, or perpendicular to them. The value of the vortex pinning potential in a weak magnetic field, and the critical current density ratio are determined for these directions. The results are discussed within the framework of presenting the sample as layers of fine single crystals, divided by weak interlayer superconducting bonds with magnetic inclusions.
The issue concerning the nature and the role of microstructural inhomogeneities in iron chalcogenide superconducting crystals of FeTe0.65Se0.35 and their correlation with transport properties of this system was addressed. Presented data demonstrate that chemical disorder originating from the kinetics of the crystal growth process significantly influences the superconducting properties of an Fe-Te-Se system. Transport measurements of the transition temperature and critical current density performed for microscopic bridges allow us to deduce the local properties of a superconductor with microstructural inhomogeneities, and significant differences were noted. The variances observed in the local properties were explained as a consequence of weak superconducting links existing in the studied crystals. The results confirm that inhomogeneous spatial distribution of ions and small hexagonal symmetry nanoscale regions with nanoscale phase separation also seem to enhance the superconductivity in this system with respect to the values of the critical current density. Magnetic measurements confirm the conclusions drawn from the transport measurements.
A detailed magnetization study for the novel FeSe superconductor is carried out to investigate the behavior of the intrinsic magnetic susceptibility $chi$ in the normal state with temperature and under hydrostatic pressure. The temperature dependencies of $chi$ and its anisotropy $Delta chi=chi_{|}-chi_{bot}$ are measured for FeSe single crystals in the temperature range 4.2-300 K, and a substantial growth of susceptibility with temperature is revealed. The observed anisotropy $Delta chi$ is very large and comparable with the averaged susceptibility at low temperatures. For a polycrystalline sample of FeSe, a significant pressure effect on $chi$ is determined to be essentially dependent on temperature. Ab initio calculations of the pressure dependent electronic structure and magnetic susceptibility indicate that FeSe is close to magnetic instability with dominating enhanced spin paramagnetism. The calculated paramagnetic susceptibility exhibits a strong dependence on the unit cell volume and especially on the height $Z$ of chalcogen species from the Fe plane. The change of $Z$ under pressure determines a large positive pressure effect on $chi$ which is observed at low temperatures. It is shown that the literature experimental data on the strong and nonmonotonic pressure dependence of the superconducting transition temperature in FeSe correlate qualitatively with calculated behavior of the density of electronic states at the Fermi level.
The magnetic moment in the superconducting and normal state of a crystalline FeTe0.65Se0.35 superconductor, grown by the Bridgmans method with relatively high growth rate, was measured. The temperature and magnetic field dependences of magnetization and its relaxation time were determined. Studied crystal, being non-uniform due to high growth rate of 5 mm/h, exhibits smaller width of superconducting transition in comparison with an ideal crystal grown with velocity of 1 mm/h, and the difference in magnetic properties of crystals grown with various growth rate, related to their microstructure, is discussed.
In this paper, we address a number of outstanding issues concerning the nature and the role of magnetic inhomogenities in the iron chalcogenide system FeTe1-xSex and their correlation with superconductivity in this system. We report morphology of superconducting single crystals of FeTe0.65Se0.35 studied with transmission electron microscopy, high angle annular dark field scanning transmission electron microscopy and their magnetic and superconducting properties characterized with magnetization, specific heat and magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Our data demonstrate a presence of nanometre scale hexagonal regions coexisting with tetragonal host lattice, a chemical disorder demonstrating non homogeneous distribution of host atoms in the crystal lattice, as well as hundreds-of-nanometres-long iron-deficient bands. From magnetic data and ferromagnetic resonance temperature dependence, we attribute magnetic phases in Fe-Te-Se to Fe3O4 inclusions and to hexagonal symmetry nanometre scale regions with structure of Fe7Se8 type. Our results suggest that nonhomogeneous distribution of host atoms might be an intrinsic feature of superconducting Fe-Te-Se chalcogenides and we find a surprising correlation indicating that faster grown crystal of inferior crystallographic properties is a better superconductor.
As a result of experimental studies of the single-crystal iron-chalcogenide compound FeTe0.65Se0.35, the effect of structural transitions caused by hydrogen sorption on the magnetic and current-carrying properties of a superconductor has been established. An increase in the volume-averaged effective pinning potential (and the associated critical current density) after the process of hydrogen sorption at temperatures up to 150 {deg}C - 200 {deg}C can be explained by the appearance of additional pinning centers due to the local action of implanted H ions on its crystal structure and electronic states. It was confirmed that hydrogenation is an efficient tool for increasing flux pining properties of superconductors.