Metal-Insulator-Metal Transitions, Superconductivity and Magnetism in Graphite

TL;DR

This paper reviews magnetotransport and magnetization studies on graphite, revealing magnetic field-driven phase transitions, evidence of localized superconductivity at room temperature, and the coexistence of superconducting and ferromagnetic correlations.

Contribution

It provides new experimental evidence for superconductivity in graphite and graphite-sulfur composites, and discusses magnetic field-induced transitions in highly oriented graphite.

Findings

Magnetic field induces metal-insulator and insulator-metal transitions in graphite.

Localized superconducting domains exist in HOPG at room temperature.

Superconductivity is observed in graphite-sulfur composites.

Abstract

This article reviews recent results of magnetotransport and magnetization measurements performed on highly oriented pyrolitic graphite (HOPG) and single crystalline Kish graphite samples. Both metal-insulator and insulator-metal transitions driven by magnetic field applied perpendicular to the basal planes of graphite were found and discussed in the light of relevant theories. The results provide evidence for the existence of localized superconducting domains in HOPG even at room temperature, as well as an interplay between superconducting and ferromagnetic correlations. We also present experimental evidence for the superconductivity occurrence in graphite-sulfur composites.