Collapse of the Fe-vacancy order and successive phase transitions in superconducting KxFe2-ySe2 (0.7 \leg x \leg 0.8, 0.2 \leg y \leg 0.3)

TL;DR

This study reveals that in KxFe2-ySe2 superconductors, Fe-vacancy order collapses above the transition temperature, leading to a tetragonal structure without vacancy order, which is crucial for understanding Fe-based superconductivity.

Contribution

The paper demonstrates the collapse of Fe-vacancy order in KxFe2-ySe2 and identifies the resulting tetragonal structure as key to its superconducting properties.

Findings

Fe-vacancy order collapses above the superconducting transition.

Superconducting phase adopts a tetragonal structure without vacancy order.

Superconductors likely have a K0.75Fe2-ySe2 composition.

Abstract

The Fe-based superconducting KxFe2-ySe2 (0.6 {\leg} x {\leg} 1, 0.2{\leg} y {\leg} 0.4) compounds, unlike the well-known RFe2As2 (R = Ba, Sr, Ca) superconductors, contain complex structural features and notable physical properties, such as the Fe-vacancy ordering, multi-superconducting transitions and the phase separation[1]. Recent experimental studies also suggested the presence of remarkable interplay among the Fe-vacancy order and the antiferromagnetic structure[2]. Here we demonstrate that the well-characterized superconducting KxFe2-ySe2 (0.6 {\leg} x {\leg} 0.8, 0.2 {\leg} x {\leg} 0.3) samples contain complex microstructure features and undergo successive phase transitions at low temperatures. In-situ TEM observations on a number of the KxFe2-ySe2 superconductors demonstrated the presence of a remarkable collapse of the Fe-vacancy order above the superconducting transition, as a result, the superconducting phase actually adopts a tetragonal structure without the Fe-vacancy ordering. Moreover, our analysis at the low temperatures suggests that the superconductors likely adopt a Fe-deficient structure with composition of K0.75Fe2-ySe2. These results are important not only for the further optimization of superconducting phase in present system but also for understanding the mechanism of the Fe-based superconductivity.