Development of viable solutions for the synthesis of sulfur bearing single crystals

Abstract

The discovery of high temperature superconductivity in FeAs and FeSe based compounds has once again focused the condensed matter community on the need to systematically explore compounds containing chalcogens and pnictogens. Whereas some solution growth techniques have been developed to handle P and As, and Sb and Bi are versatile solvents in their own right, S has remained a problematic element to incorporate into conventional solution growth. To a large extent its low boiling point, combined with its polymeric nature in a molten state have made S an uninviting solvent. In this paper we present our development of a range of binary sulfur bearing solutions (some even sulfur rich) and demonstrate how we have been able to use these as useful starting points for the growth of a wide range of transition metal–sulfur–X ternary compounds. We present growth details and basic characterization data for Ni₃Bi₂S₂, Co₃Sn₂S₂, Fe₂GeS₄, CoSSb, and CePd₃S₄. In addition we present a remarkably simple method for the growth of single crystalline Co with crystallization taking place below the Curie temperature.

Keywords:

• sulfur-based compounds
• solution growth
• single crystals
• sulfur bearing solutions

Acknowledgements

This work was carried out at the Iowa State University and supported by the AFOSR-MURI grant No. FA9550-09-1-0603 (X. Lin and P.C. Canfield). Part of this work was performed at Ames Laboratory, US DOE, under contract No. DE-AC02-07CH 11358 (S.L. Bud'ko).