Iron selenide superconductors exhibit a number of unique characteristics that are helpful for understanding the mechanism of superconductivity in high-T c iron-based superconductors more generally. However, in the case of A x Fe 2 Se 2 (A = K, Rb, Cs), the presence of an intergrown antiferromagnetic insulating phase makes the study of the underlying physics problematic. Moreover, FeSe-based systems intercalated with alkali metal ions, NH 3 molecules or organic molecules are extremely sensitive to air, which prevents the further investigation of their physical properties. It is therefore desirable to find a stable and easily accessible FeSe-based superconductor to study its physical properties in detail. Here, we report the synthesis of an air-stable material, (Li0.8Fe0.2)OHFeSe, which remains superconducting at temperatures up to ∼40 K, by means of a novel hydrothermal method. The crystal structure is unambiguously determined by a combination of X-ray and neutron powder diffraction and nuclear magnetic resonance. Moreover, antiferromagnetic order is shown to coexist with superconductivity. This synthetic route opens a path for exploring superconductivity in other related systems, and confirms the appeal of iron selenides as a platform for understanding superconductivity in iron pnictides more broadly.
CITATION STYLE
Lu, X. F., Wang, N. Z., Wu, H., Wu, Y. P., Zhao, D., Zeng, X. Z., … Chen, X. H. (2015). Coexistence of superconductivity and antiferromagnetism in (Li0.8Fe0.2)OHFeSe. Nature Materials, 14(3), 325–329. https://doi.org/10.1038/nmat4155
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