corner
corner

Phys. Rev. B 78, 134516 (2008) [8 pages]

Indications for intrinsic superconductivity in highly oriented pyrolytic graphite

Download: PDF (815 kB) Buy this article Export: BibTeX or EndNote (RIS)

P. Esquinazi1,2,3,*, N. García3,1,†, J. Barzola-Quiquia1, P. Rödiger1, K. Schindler1, J.-L. Yao1, and M. Ziese1
1Abteilung für Supraleitung und Magnetismus, Institut für Experimentelle Physik II, Universität Leipzig, Linnéstraße 5, D-04103 Leipzig, Germany
2CMAM, Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, Cantoblanco, E-28049 Madrid, Spain
3Laboratorio de Física de Sistemas Pequeños y Nanotecnología, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, E-28006 Madrid, Spain

Received 27 May 2008; published 14 October 2008

High-resolution magnetoresistance data in highly oriented pyrolytic graphite thin samples manifest nonhomogenous superconductivity with critical temperature Tc∼25 K and higher temperature. Our claim is based mainly in the observation of anomalous hysteresis loops of resistance versus magnetic field that cannot be assigned to magnetic irreversibility but indicates the existence of Josephson-coupled superconducting grains. In addition we observe quantum resonances that can be assigned to Andreev reflections and the absence of Schubnikov de Haas oscillations. The results indicate that graphite is a system with nonpercolative superconducting domains immersed in a semiconductinglike matrix. As possible origin of the superconductivity in graphite we discuss interior-gap superconductivity when two very different type of carriers with different masses are present.

© 2008 The American Physical Society

URL:
http://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/PhysRevB.78.134516
DOI:
10.1103/PhysRevB.78.134516
PACS:
74.10.+v, 74.45.+c, 74.78.Na

*esquin@physik.uni-leipzig.de

nicolas.garcia@fsp.csic.es