Expanding the trilayer Ruddlesden-Popper nickelate family: Synthesis and characterization of Sm4Ni3O10−δ single crystals
Abstract
The discovery of high-temperature superconductivity in Ruddlesden-Popper (RP) nickelates has attracted significant attention. Bulk superconductivity emerges under pressure in trilayer nickelates La4Ni3O10−δ (Tc ≈ 30 K) and Pr4Ni3O10−δ (Tc ≈ 40.5 K), where the reduced ionic radius of Pr3+ may generate internal chemical pressure and enhance Tc. However, synthesizing trilayer RP phases with smaller rare-earth elements (Ln) is extremely challenging. So far, only the La, Pr, and Nd analogues have been synthesized with stable phases in the single rare-earth form. Here we report the first successful high-pressure and high-temperature (HPHT) synthesis of samarium-based compound Sm4Ni3O10−δ. Magnetization and transport measurements consistently confirm a density wave (DW) transition at ~180 K at ambient pressure. Through a careful fitting to the structural data of Sm4Ni3O10−δ, it is found that the bond angle of (Ni-O-Ni) associating with the interlayer apical oxygen is much smaller than 180∘, which was assumed to be the key factor for the occurrence of superconductivity. By applying pressures up to 80 GPa, despite partial suppression of insulating behavior and the DW order, but superconductivity is not observed in our present study. Density functional theory calculations suggest that the 3dz2 and 3dx2−y2 are separated from other t2g orbitals and make a primary contribution to the Fermi surface. The newly synthesized trilayer nickelate Sm4Ni3O10−δ offers a unique platform for probing the fundamental physics of RP nickelates.
Versions
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BibTeX
@misc{zhang2026expanding,
title = {{Expanding the trilayer Ruddlesden-Popper nickelate family: Synthesis and characterization of Sm$_4$Ni$_3$O$_10-δ$ single crystals}},
author = {Yuhang Zhang and Tian-Yi Li and Xiyu Zhu and Ying-Jie Zhang and Shengtai Fan and Qing Li and Hai-Hu Wen},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2609.00574},
eprint = {2609.00574},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.00574},
note = {CC BY-NC-SA 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Expanding the trilayer Ruddlesden-Popper nickelate family: Synthesis and characterization of Sm_4Ni_3O_10−δ single crystals
AU - Yuhang Zhang
AU - Tian-Yi Li
AU - Xiyu Zhu
AU - Ying-Jie Zhang
AU - Shengtai Fan
AU - Qing Li
AU - Hai-Hu Wen
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/01
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2609.00574
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.00574
AB - The discovery of high-temperature superconductivity in Ruddlesden-Popper (RP) nickelates has attracted significant attention. Bulk superconductivity emerges under pressure in trilayer nickelates La_4Ni_3O_10−δ (T_c ≈ 30 K) and Pr_4Ni_3O_10−δ (T_c ≈ 40.5 K), where the reduced ionic radius of Pr^3+ may generate internal chemical pressure and enhance T_c. However, synthesizing trilayer RP phases with smaller rare-earth elements (Ln) is extremely challenging. So far, only the La, Pr, and Nd analogues have been synthesized with stable phases in the single rare-earth form. Here we report the first successful high-pressure and high-temperature (HPHT) synthesis of samarium-based compound Sm_4Ni_3O_10−δ. Magnetization and transport measurements consistently confirm a density wave (DW) transition at ~180 K at ambient pressure. Through a careful fitting to the structural data of Sm_4Ni_3O_10−δ, it is found that the bond angle of (Ni-O-Ni) associating with the interlayer apical oxygen is much smaller than 180^∘, which was assumed to be the key factor for the occurrence of superconductivity. By applying pressures up to 80 GPa, despite partial suppression of insulating behavior and the DW order, but superconductivity is not observed in our present study. Density functional theory calculations suggest that the 3d_z^2 and 3d_x^2−y^2 are separated from other t_2g orbitals and make a primary contribution to the Fermi surface. The newly synthesized trilayer nickelate Sm_4Ni_3O_10−δ offers a unique platform for probing the fundamental physics of RP nickelates.
ER -