A Comprehensive Study of Bulk Nd_1-xSr_xNiO₂: Understanding the Absence of Superconductivity

Abstract:

This study investigates the absence of superconductivity in bulk type nickelate and analyzes the structural and transport characteristics of the materials. Infinite layer bulk type Nd_1-xSr_xNiO₂ with Sr doping level x for 0.0, 0.1 and 0.2 are synthesized by conventional solid state synthesis method. The crystallographic structure Nd_1-xSr_xNiO₂ of is found to be stable for different doping levels using X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis and confirms phase purity. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis reveals the grain morphology and indicates the absence of notable microstructural features that support superconductivity. The nature of grain size distribution of Nd_1-xSr_xNiO₂, with x = 0.0, 0.1 and 0.2 are analyzed. The transport measurement of prepared bulk type nickelate samples are performed by four probe technique with the help of closed cycle cryogenerator. The electrical transport characteristics based on 3D Variable Range Hopping (VRH) conduction models are examined. This study presents the alternative synthesis techniques to stabilize the superconducting phase and an overall insight into the causes for the failure of superconductivity.

• Periodical: Engineering Headway (Volume 34)
• Pages: 3-12
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/p-bFgvX0
• Online since: February 2026
• Authors: Payel Das*
• Keywords: 3D Variable Range Hopping, Superconductivity, Transport Characteristics

References

[1] J. Chaloupka, G. Khaliullin, Orbital Order and Possible Superconductivity in Superlattices, Phys. Rev. Lett. 100 (2008) 016404.

[2] V. I. Anisimov, D. Bukhvalov, T. M. Rice, Electronic structure of possible nickelate analogs to the cuprates, Phys. Rev. B 59 (1999) 7901–7906.

DOI: 10.1103/physrevb.59.7901

[3] A. V. Boris et al., X-ray absorption spectra of the Mott insulator La2CuO4, Science 332 (2011) 937-940.

[4] S. Middey et al., Physics of Ultrathin Films and Heterostructures of Rare-Earth Nickelates, Annu. Rev. Mater. Res. 46 (2016) 305-334.

DOI: 10.1146/annurev-matsci-070115-032057

[5] D. Li et al., Superconductivity in an infinite-layer nickelate, Nature 572 (2019) 624-627.

[6] Qing Li et al., Self-assembled NIR-responsive MoS2@quaternized chitosan/nanocellulose composite paper for recyclable antibacterial applications, Commun. Mater. 16 (2020) 1.

DOI: 10.2139/ssrn.4017468

[7] P. Das, Ajay Kumar Ghosh, Superfluid phase stiffness in electron doped superconducting Gd-123, Phys. C 548 (2018) 27-30.

DOI: 10.1016/j.physc.2018.01.020

[8] Payel Das, Ajay Kumar Ghosh, An Evidence of the Second Order BKT Phase Transition in Three Dimensional Underdoped RE-123 Superconductors, J. Supercond. Nov. Magn. 37 (2024) 25-30.

DOI: 10.1007/s10948-023-06647-9

[9] M.A. Hayward et al., Sodium hydride as a powerful reducing agent for topotactic oxide deintercalation: synthesis and characterisation of the nickel (I) oxide LaNiO2 , J. Am. Chem. Soc. 121 (1999) 8843-8844.

DOI: 10.1021/ja991573i

[10] M. Osada et al., Phase diagram of infinite layer praseodymium nickelate thin films, Phys. Rev. Mater. 4 (2020) 121801.

[11] Y. Krockenberger et al., Kerr non-linearity in a superconducting Josephson metamaterial, J. Appl. Phys. 124 (2018) 073905.

[12] Z. H. Liu, A. A. Pal, et al., A phase-field study on the hysteresis behaviors and domain patterns of nanocrystalline ferroelectric polycrystals, J. Appl. Phys. 113 (2013) 104106.

DOI: 10.1063/1.4807315

[13] H. C. Liu, Z. Yang, et al., A high-performance two-dimensional p-n junction photodetector with high internal gain, Nature 586 (2020) 39-44.

[14] S. A. Tranquada, J. M. Tranquada, et al., Evidence for stripe correlations of spin and charge in a high-temperature superconductor, Science 366 (2019) 1011-1016.

[15] B. S. Fain, C. Zhang, et al., Observation of Nonreciprocal Optoelectronic Behavior in a Topological Insulator, Phys. Rev. Lett. 123 (2019) 227003.

[16] T.H. L. Ngo, S. Chen, et al., Designing high-performance perovskite nanocrystal-based photodetectors with enhanced stability and sensitivity, J. Mater. Chem. C 8 (2020) 1234-1242.

[17] N.F. Mott, E.A. Davis, Electronic Processes in Non-Crystalline Materials (Clarendon, Oxford) (1979).

[18] A.N. Vasil'ev et al., Magnetic and transport properties of electron-doped high-Tc superconductors, Phys. B Condens. Matter 223 (1996) 243-247.

[19] A. Reyes et al., Magnetic ordering and spin fluctuations in the Fe-based superconductor LaFeAsO, Phys. Rev. B 71 (2005) 125110.

[20] M. R. Shastry et al., Magnetoresistance in manganite thin films, J. Appl. Phys. 85 (1999) 3805-3811.

[21] P. W. Anderson, The Theory of Superconductivity in High-Tc Cuprates, Science 268 (1995) 1154-1160.

[22] D. Haug et al., Directed assembly of one-dimensional nanostructures into functional networks ,Nat. Mater. 4 (2005) 447-450.

[23] J. Lee, et al., Phase-dependent heat transport in Josephson junctions with p-wave superconductors and superfluids, Phys. Rev. B 71 (2005) 184502-1 – 184502-6.