Study of superconducting properties in ZrTe3 intercalated with Y.

• Grant number: 24/01514-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: June 01, 2024
• End date: December 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Materials and Metallurgical Engineering - Nonmetallic Materials
• Principal Investigator: Antonio Jefferson da Silva Machado
• Grantee: Fábio Franchi Gomes Nogueira
• Host Institution: Escola de Engenharia de Lorena (EEL). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Lorena , SP, Brazil
• Associated scholarship(s): 24/23535-1 - Study of influence of the pressure and Zr substitution in Zr1-xHfxTe3 on the superconducting properties., BE.EP.IC

Abstract

This proposal focuses on the study of superconductivity that emerges from the intercalation of yttrium (Y) in trichalcogenide of composition ZrTe3. The preliminary results presented in this proposal show that the intercalation between tellurium atoms in this compound has the capacity to induce superconductivity in the host material or matrix (ZrTe3.) The preliminary results obtained by the student, candidate for the scholarship, in YxZrTe3 show superconducting behavior with critical temperature close to 4.9 K (onset). These results are promising and justify a more systematic study to verify the dependence of the superconducting critical temperature on the Y intercalated concentration. The possibility of an unconventional superconducting state is a very reasonable hypothesis and needs to be studied, given the high anisotropy of this material. In addition to the scientific aspects covered here, this proposal aims to expand student training regarding problems of synthesis and characterization of new materials, fulfilling the function of training human resources.