Superconductivity in a quintuple-layer square-planar nickelate

Abstract

Since the discovery of high-temperature superconductivity in the copper oxide materials, there have been sustained efforts to both understand the origins of this phase and discover new cuprate-like superconducting materials. One prime materials platform has been the rare-earth nickelates and indeed superconductivity was recently discovered in the doped compound Nd 0.8 Sr 0.2 NiO 2 . Undoped NdNiO 2 belongs to a series of layered square-planar nickelates with chemical formula Nd n+1 Ni n O 2n+2 and is known as the 'infinite-layer' (n=∞) nickelate. Furthermore, we report the synthesis of the quintuple-layer (n=5) member of this series, Nd 6 Ni 5 O 12 , in which optimal cuprate-like electron filling (d 8.8 ) is achieved without chemical doping. We observe a superconducting transition beginning at ~13 K. Electronic structure calculations, in tandem with magnetoresistive and spectroscopic measurements, suggest that Nd 6 Ni 5 O 12 interpolates between cuprate-like and infinite-layer nickelate-like behavior. In engineering a distinct superconducting nickelate, we identify the square-planar nickelates as a new family of superconductors which can be tuned via both doping and dimensionality.