Type-I superconductivity in KBi2 single crystals

TL;DR

This paper reports that KBi2 single crystals are confirmed as type-I superconductors with a critical temperature of 3.573 K, exhibiting characteristic thermodynamic and magnetic properties.

Contribution

The study provides comprehensive experimental and theoretical evidence establishing KBi2 as a type-I superconductor, including measurements of critical fields and phase transition behavior.

Findings

KBi2 is a type-I superconductor with Tc = 3.573 K.

KBi2 exhibits low critical magnetic fields.

KBi2 shows a field-induced crossover from second to first-order phase transition.

Abstract

We report the detailed transport, magnetic, thermodynamic properties and theoretical calculation of KBi2 single crystals in superconducting and normal states. KBi2 shows metallic behavior at normal state and enters superconducting state below Tc = 3.573 K. Moreover, KBi2 exhibits low critical fields in all of measurements, field-induced crossover from second to first-order phase transition in specific heat measurement, typical magnetization isotherms of type-I superconductors, and small Ginzburg-Landau parameter kappaGL = 0.611. These results clearly indicate that KB2 is a type-I superconductor with thermodynamic critical field Hc = 234.3(3) Oe.