Role of interstitial "caged" Fe in the superconductivity of FeTe1/2Se1/2

TL;DR

This study investigates how interstitial iron influences the structural, magnetic, and superconducting properties of FeTe1/2Se1/2, revealing that limited interstitial Fe does not completely suppress superconductivity, but higher amounts can inhibit it.

Contribution

It demonstrates the impact of quenching-induced disorder on interstitial Fe occupancy and its effects on superconductivity and magnetism in FeTe1/2Se1/2.

Findings

Superconductivity at 10 K and 13 K observed in RTQ and 300Q samples.

Higher interstitial Fe content correlates with suppressed superconductivity.

Magnetic ordering occurs around 125 K in all samples.

Abstract

All samples are synthesized through standard solid state reaction route and are quenched to room temperature systematically at 7000C, 5000C, 3000C and room temperature (RT); named as 700Q, 500Q, 300Q and RTQ respectively. The structural and magnetic properties are studied. Careful Reitveld analysis of XRD patterns revealed that though all samples except 700Q are crystallized in single phase with space group P4/nmm, the presence of interstitial Fe (Feint) at 2c site is increased from 5% for RTQ to 8% for 500Q. The 700Q sample is crystallized in Fe7Se8 phase. The transport and magnetization results revealed that though RTQ and 300Q are superconducting at 10 K and 13 K respectively, while the 500Q and 700Q are not. Magnetic ordering (Tmag) is observed at around 125 K for all the samples. The prominence of Tmag in terms of effective moment is sufficiently higher for 500Q and 700Q than RTQ and 300Q. Summarily it is found that quenching induced disorder affects the occupancy of interstitial Fe in FeTe1/2Se1/2 and thus both its superconducting and magnetic properties. Further it clear that limited presence of interstitial Fe at 2c site is not fully against observation of superconductivity, because 300Q sample possesses higher Tc (13 K) for higher Feint (6%) than RTQ sample with relatively lower Tc (10 K) having lower Feint (5%). Further the 500Q sample with much higher Feint (8%) is though non-superconducting.