Superconductivity in the Fullerenes

The effect of atomic substitution on electron–phonon interactions in negatively charged B, N-substituted acenes

Electron-phonon interactions in the monoanions of B, N-substituted acenes such as B(3)N(3)F(6) (1f) and B(5)N(5)F(8) (2f) are studied, and compared with those in the monoanions of B(3)N(3)H(6) (1h) and B(5)N(5)H(8) (2h), and B(3)N(3)D(6) (1d) and B(5)N(5)D(8) (2d). The low frequency modes around 500 cm(-1) as well as the frequency modes higher than 1000 cm(-1) strongly couple to the lowest unoccupied molecular orbitals (LUMO) in 1f and 2f. The total electron-phonon coupling constants (l(LUMO)) are estimated to be 2.710 and 2.054 eV for 1f and 2f, respectively, and those are estimated to be 0.342 and 0.235 eV for 1d and 2d, respectively, while those were estimated to be 0.340 and 0.237 eV for 1h and 2h, respectively. That is, the l(LUMO) value increases much more significantly by H-F substitution than by H-D substitution in B, N-substituted acenes. The larger displacements of B and N atoms in the vibronic active modes in 1f and 2f than those in 1d and 2d due to larger atomic mass of fluorine than that of deuterium, and the phase patterns difference between the LUMO in 1f and 2f, in which the atomic orbitals between N and its neighboring F atoms form strong sigma-antibonding interactions, and that in 1d and 2d, in which the atomic orbitals between two neighboring B and N atoms form weak pi-bonding and pi-antibonding interactions, are the main reason why the l(LUMO) value increases much more significantly by H-F substitution than by H-D substitution. The reorganization energies between the neutral molecules and the corresponding monoanions are estimated to be 0.122, 0.063, 0.733, and 0.830 eV for 1h, 2h, 1f, and 2f, respectively. Therefore, the estimated reorganization energies between the neutral molecules and the corresponding monoanions for 1f and 2f are much larger than those for 1h and 2h.

2D bands and electron-phonon interactions in polyacene plastic transistors

We present a simple tight-binding model for the two-dimensional energy bands of polyacene field-effect transistors and for the coupling of these bands to lattice vibrations of their host molecular crystal. We argue that the strongest electron-phonon interactions in these systems originate from the dependence of intermolecule hopping amplitudes on collective molecular motion, and introduce a generalized Su-Schrieffer-Heeger model and is parameter-free once the band mass has been specified. We compute alpha(2)F(omega) as a function of two-dimensional hole density, and are able to explain the onset of superconductivity near 2D carrier density n(2D) approximately 10(14) cm(-2), observed in recent experiments.

Electron-phonon coupling spectrum in photodoped pentacene crystals

The coupling between conduction charges and the vibrational modes of the molecular lattice plays a defining role in the transport characteristics of organic semiconductors. Using electron tunneling spectroscopy, we obtain the electron--optical-phonon coupling spectrum in photodoped pentacene crystals at energies <30 meV. Comparison of the tunneling spectrum to infrared absorption data on the optical phonon density of states yields the energy dependence of the electron-phonon scattering matrix element. The integrated spectral weight of the electron-phonon coupling shows that superconductivity in pentacene is likely of electron-phonon origin.

Superconductivity at 52 K in hole-doped C60

Superconductivity in electron-doped C60 was first observed almost ten years ago. The metallic state and superconductivity result from the transfer of electrons from alkaline or alkaline-earth ions to the C60 molecule, which is known to be a strong electron acceptor. For this reason, it is very difficult to remove electrons from C60--yet one might expect to see superconductivity at higher temperatures in hole-doped than in electron-doped C60, because of the higher density of electronic states in the valence band than in the conduction band. We have used the technique of gate-induced doping in a field-effect transistor configuration to introduce significant densities of holes into C60. We observe superconductivity over an extended range of hole density, with a smoothly varying transition temperature Tc that peaks at 52 K. By comparison with the well established dependence of Tc on the lattice parameter in electron-doped C60, we anticipate that Tc values significantly in excess of 100 K should be achievable in a suitably expanded, hole-doped C60 lattice.

Nonadiabatic channels in the superconducting pairing of fullerides

We show the intrinsic inconsistency of the conventional phonon mediated theory of superconductivity in relation to the observed properties of Rb3C60. The recent, highly accurate measurement of the carbon isotope coefficient alpha(C) = 0.21, together with the high value of T(c) (30 K) and the very small Fermi energy E(F) (0.25 eV), unavoidably implies the opening of nonadiabatic channels in the superconducting pairing. We estimate these effects and show that they are actually the key elements for the high value of T(c) in these materials compared to the very low values of graphite intercalation compounds.

BCS-like density of states in superconducting A3C60 surfaces

We report on an ultrahigh resolution photoemission study on the topmost molecular layer of K3C60 and Rb3C60 films below and above the superconducting transition temperature T(C). We observed not only clear evidence for the opening of the superconducting gap, but also a modification in the photoemission line shape consistent with a change from a normal-metallic to a BCS-like density of states, including the formation of a condensation peak. The data can be accurately modeled by a BCS-type function with a gap Delta derived from T(C) in the weak-coupling limit ( 2Delta/k(B)T(C) = 3.53).

A superconducting field-effect switch

We report here on a novel realization of a field-effect device that allows switching between insulating and superconducting states, which is the widest possible variation of electrical properties of a material. We chose C(60) as the active material because of its low surface state density and observed superconductivity in alkali metal-doped C(60). We induced three electrons per C(60) molecule in the topmost molecular layer of a crystal with the field-effect device, creating a superconducting switch operating up to 11 kelvin. An insulator was thereby transformed into a superconductor. This technique offers new opportunities for the study of superconductivity as a function of carrier concentration.