Thermal expansion of organic superconductor k-(D4-BEDT-TTF)2Cu{N(CN)2}Br. Isotopic effect

TL;DR

This study investigates the thermal expansion behavior of an organic superconductor across a wide temperature range, revealing anomalies related to superconductivity, Mott transition, and glass-like transition, with insights into isotope effects.

Contribution

It provides detailed measurements of LTEC in a specific organic superconductor and discusses isotope effects on phase transition shifts, which is novel for this material.

Findings

Negative LTEC below Tc indicating superconducting transition

Broad peak around 40 K related to Mott boundary

Sharp jump and hysteresis near 75-77 K indicating glass transition

Abstract

Linear thermal expansion coefficient (LTEC) of single crystal k-(D4-BEDT-TTF)2Cu[N(CN)2]Br was studied across the crystal layers in the temperature range 2-290 K using the method of precise capacitive dilatometry. Below Tc = 11,6 K the LTEC of the sample had a small negative value, which is apparently due to the transition from the paramagnetic metal in the superconducting state. There was a bend of temperature dependence of the LTEC, which shows broad peak around 40 K and can be attributed to the elastic lattice anomaly around the end-point of Mott boundary. A sharp jump in the LTEC values and hysteresis was observed in the area of Tg ~ 75-77 K, what is likely explained by the transition in a glass-like state. The isotope effect in the thermal expansion is discusses, which manifested itself in a shift of the phase transitions in comparison with fully deuterated BEDT-TTF sample.