Nickelate Superconductors Advance With 63 K Films at Ambient Pressure and 96 K Under Pressure

Overview

• Researchers used a new growth method called Gigantic‑oxidative Atomic‑layer‑by‑layer Epitaxy to make (La,Pr)3Ni2O7 films that reach a record 63 K onset and 37 K zero resistance at ambient pressure, with a stronger Meissner response than before.
• The film study, published in National Science Review, shows that raising the oxidation state pushes normal‑state transport toward strange‑metal behavior with linear‑in‑temperature resistivity, which tracks the rise in the onset temperature.
• The same films display strong coupling between layers and more three‑dimensional traits than cuprate superconductors, which helps global phase coherence across the sample.
• A separate arXiv preprint reports flux‑grown La2SmNi2O7 single crystals that become bulk superconductors under high pressure, including a 96 K onset, 73 K zero resistance at 21.6 GPa, and a Meissner effect at 60 K near 20.6 GPa.
• Structural data under pressure indicate both monoclinic and tetragonal phases can host superconductivity, and higher transition temperatures track larger in‑plane lattice distortion, pointing to pressure, composition, and oxidation as levers to raise Tc.