Superconductivity nickel borocarbides

Superconductivity has also been discovered in rather exotic materials, including the following Buckminsterfullerene (Cgo) doped with ICI Carbon nanotubes (superconductivity in just one direction) Nickel borocarbides, which contain Ni2 B2 layers alternating with R C sheets, where R is a rare earth element such as Er and organic superconductors that contain planar organic cations and oxoanions. Chemists and physicists continue to study these and other families of superconductors. 

Fig. 12. Tetragonal rare-earth nickel borocarbides (nitrides) with (a) single, (b) double and (c) triple t C(N)-Layers and values of the superconducting transition temperature Tc (Cava et al. 1994c Gao et al. 1994 ...

With the discovery of superconductivity (Tc = 15.5 K) in the Y-Ni-B-C system [6, 80], a new class of quaternary borocarbide superconductors has emerged. Superconductivity has been observed in several rare earth (Lu, Tm, Er and Ho) nickel borocarbides[80], and with transition metals such as Pd and Pt. The superconducting phase having the composition of YNi2B2C, crystallizes [81] in a tetragonal structure with alternating Y-C and Ni2B2 layers. Band structure calculations [82] indicate that these materials, unlike cuprate superconductors, are three-dimensional metals. 

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