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Superconductivity seen in a non-magnetic nickel oxide

Magnetism alone was thought to be responsible for superconductivity in copper oxides. The finding of superconductivity in a non-magnetic compound that is structurally similar to these copper oxides challenges this view.
  1. George A. Sawatzky

    1. George A. Sawatzky is at the Stewart Blusson Quantum Matter Institute and in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z1, Canada.

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In 1986, scientists unexpectedly discovered that a lanthanum barium copper oxide, La1.85Ba0.15CuO4, becomes a superconductor (has zero electrical resistance) below a relatively high temperature1 of 35 kelvin. This result triggered one of the most intense experimental and theoretical research efforts in condensed-matter physics. Soon afterwards, many other copper oxides (cuprates) were found to superconduct at temperatures2 of up to 133.5 K. However, after more than 30 years, there is no consensus regarding the underlying mechanism of cuprate superconductivity. Writing in Nature, Li et al.3 report that a neodymium strontium nickel oxide, Nd0.8Sr0.2NiO2, superconducts below 9–15 K. This material has a similar crystal structure to that of the cuprate superconductors, suggesting that the authors’ discovery could lead to a better understanding of superconductivity in these systems.

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Nature 572, 592-593 (2019)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-019-02518-3

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