Study of influence of the pressure and Zr substitution in Zr1-xHfxTe3 on the superconducting properties.

• Grant number: 24/23535-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: August 24, 2025
• End date: December 23, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Materials and Metallurgical Engineering - Nonmetallic Materials
• Principal Investigator: Antonio Jefferson da Silva Machado
• Grantee: Fábio Franchi Gomes Nogueira
• Supervisor: Milton Torikachvili
• Host Institution: Escola de Engenharia de Lorena (EEL). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Lorena , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: San Diego State University, United States
• Associated to the scholarship: 24/01514-2 - Study of superconducting properties in ZrTe3 intercalated with Y., BP.IC

Abstract

This BEPE proposal of tree months has as the goal of probing the interplay between superconductivity and CDW (Charge Density Wave) on the intriguing compound HfTe3, which is a quasi-one dimensional material. Single crystalline HfTe3 is not superconducting, however, preliminary results obtained from candidate of this BEPE, suggest that the partial substitution of Hf for Zr promotes the emergence of superconductivity, with superconducting transition temperature close to 5.0 K. While this result is surprising it also open a venue for exploring the importance of defects and isoelectronic substitution on the superconducting behavior. With this in mind, under supervision of Prof. Milton Torikachvili, the student will grow single crystal of high quality Hf1-xZrxTe3 single crystals using ICVT methodology, and the superconducting properties will be via probed by means of measurements of electrical transport under pressure, heat capacity, magnetization and thermoelectric.