Collapse of CuO Double Chains and Suppression of Superconductivity in High-Pressure Phase of YBa$_2$Cu$_4$O$_8$

TL;DR

This study investigates the structural and electrical changes in YBa$_2$Cu$_4$O$_8$ under high pressure, revealing a phase transition that collapses CuO double chains and alters its superconducting properties.

Contribution

It provides new insights into the high-pressure phase transition and the collapse of CuO double chains in Y124, affecting its conduction and superconductivity mechanisms.

Findings

First-order phase transition at ~11 GPa.

Collapse of CuO double chains into 3D Cu-O network.

Altered superconducting behavior above 11 GPa.

Abstract

The crystal structure and electrical resistivity of YBa$_2$Cu$_4$O$_8$ (Y124) were studied under high pressure up to 18 GPa using diamond-anvil cells, respectively, in order to clarify its conduction mechanism. Y124 causes the first-order phase-transition into the orthorhombic Immm at pressure around 11 GPa. The high-pressure phase (HPP) also shows the superconductivity, while the manner of temperature dependence of electrical resistance and the pressure dependence of transition temperature, Tc, drastically change above 11 GPa. The CuO$_2$ plane persists in HPP but the CuO double chains collapse with the phase transition and transform into three-dimensional Cu-O network, resulting in the renewal of conduction system.