Environmental reactivity characteristics of K3C60 and YBa2Cu3O7-x high-temperature superconductor thin films

David R. Riley, David Jurbergs, Ji Ping Zhou, Jianai Zhao, John T. McDevitt

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Recently the environmental reactivity behavior of the copper-oxide superconductors has been studied and the following reactivity trends have been established: YBa2Cu3O7 > Tl2Ba2Ca2Cu3O10 > Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8 ≥ La1.85Sr0.15CuO4 > Nd1.85Ce0.15CuO4 > Nd1.85Th0.15CuO4. In this paper, the degradation characteristics of the most reactive cuprate material, YBa2Cu3O7, are compared with those of the fulleride superconductor, K3C60. Conductivity vs. exposure time measurements acquired for thin film samples in eight different environments are utilized to estimate the degradation rates for the superconductor materials. The cuprate superconductor remains relatively stable in the presence of dry nitrogen, dry oxygen, vacuum, air and acetonitrile environments, but degrades rapidly upon exposure to water solutions. Samples of K3C60 are also unreactive in dry nitrogen and under vacuum, but decompose extremely rapidly upon exposure to dry oxygen, air, acetonitrile or water solutions resulting in the complete loss of the superconducting properties.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)431-434
Number of pages4
JournalSolid State Communications
Volume88
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - Nov 1993

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Chemistry
  • Condensed Matter Physics
  • Materials Chemistry

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