Nano Titanium Monoxide Crystals and Unusual Superconductivity at 11 K |
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| Authors: | Jijian Xu Dong Wang Heliang Yao Kejun Bu Jie Pan Jianqiao He Fangfang Xu Zhanglian Hong Xiaobo Chen Fuqiang Huang |
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| Affiliation: | 1. State Key Laboratory of High Performance Ceramics and Superfine Microstructure, Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, P. R. China;2. State Key Laboratory of Silicon Materials, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, P. R. China;3. University of Missouri, Kansas City, MO, USA;4. State Key Laboratory of Rare Earth Materials Chemistry and Applications, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, P. R. China |
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| Abstract: | Nano TiO2 is investigated intensely due to extraordinary photoelectric performances in photocatalysis, new‐type solar cells, etc., but only very few synthesis and physical properties have been reported on nanostructured TiO or other low valent titanium‐containing oxides. Here, a core–shell nanoparticle made of TiO core covered with a ≈5 nm shell of amorphous TiO1+x is newly constructed via a controllable reduction method to synthesize nano TiO core and subsequent soft oxidation to form the shell (TiO1+x). The physical properties measurements of electrical transport and magnetism indicate these TiO@TiO1+x nanocrystals are a type‐?? superconductor of a recorded Tconset = 11 K in the binary Ti–O system. This unusual superconductivity could be attributed to the interfacial effect due to the nearly linear gradient of O/Ti ratio across the outer amorphous layer. This novel synthetic method and enhanced superconductivity could open up possibilities in interface superconductivity of nanostructured composites with well‐controlled interfaces. |
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| Keywords: | controllable reduction core– shell structure interface superconductivity nano titanium monoxide |
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