Article abstract
Nature Materials 2, 605 - 610 (2003)
Published online: 10 August 2003 | doi:10.1038/nmat953
Subject Categories: Superconductors | Computation, modelling and theory
The Mott–Hubbard insulating state and orbital degeneracy in the superconducting C603- fulleride family
P. Durand1, G. R. Darling1, Y. Dubitsky2, A. Zaopo2 & M. J. Rosseinsky1
Abstract
Electron correlation controls the properties of important materials such as superconducting and magnetoresistive transition metal oxides and heavy fermion systems. The role of correlation in driving metal-to-insulator transitions assumes further importance because many superconducting materials are located close to such transitions. The nature of the insulating ground state often reveals the dominant interactions in the superconductor, as shown by the importance of the properties of La2CuO4 in understanding the high-temperature-superconducting cuprates. The A3C60 alkali metal fullerides are superconducting systems in which the role of correlation in both the normal state and the superconducting pairing mechanism is controversial, because no magnetic insulator comparable to the superconducting materials has been identified. We describe the first example of a cubic C603- system with degenerate orbitals that adopts the Mott–Hubbard insulating localized electron ground state. Electron repulsion is identified as the interaction that is suppressed on the transition to metallic and superconducting behaviour in the fullerides. This observation is combined with ab initio calculations to demonstrate that it is the orbital degeneracy that allows the superconducting cubic A3C60 fullerides to remain metallic while provoking electron localization in systems with lower symmetry.
- Department of Chemistry, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZD, UK
- Pirelli Labs S.p.A., Viale Sarca 222, I-20126 Milan, Italy
Correspondence to: M. J. Rosseinsky1 e-mail: m.j.rosseinsky@liv.ac.uk
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