Superconductivity in Metal-mixed Ion-Implanted Polymer Films

TL;DR

This study demonstrates that ion-implanted polymer films with metal alloys can exhibit superconductivity below 3 K, suggesting a new approach for creating superconducting materials on flexible substrates.

Contribution

It introduces a novel method of inducing superconductivity in polymer films through ion-implantation of metal alloys, distinct from traditional thin-film deposition techniques.

Findings

Metallic behavior observed in ion-implanted polymer films

Superconductivity detected below 3 K

Superconductivity likely due to a network of alloy grains within a carbonized polymer matrix

Abstract

Ion-implantation of normally insulating polymers offers an alternative to depositing conjugated organics onto plastic films to make electronic circuits. We used a 50 keV nitrogen ion beam to mix a thin 10 nm Sn/Sb alloy film into the sub-surface of polyetheretherketone (PEEK) and report the low temperature properties of this material. We observed metallic behavior, and the onset of superconductivity below 3 K. There are strong indications that the superconductivity does not result from a residual thin-film of alloy, but instead from a network of alloy grains coupled via a weakly conducting, ion-beam carbonized polymer matrix.