Superconductivity in a layered cobalt oxychalcogenide Na${}_2$CoSe${}_2$O with a triangular lattice

Abstract

Unconventional superconductivity in bulk materials under ambient pressure is extremely rare among the 3d transition metal compounds outside the layered cuprates and iron-based family. It is predominantly linked to highly anisotropic electronic properties and quasi-two-dimensional (2D) Fermi surfaces. To date, the only known example of a Co-based exotic superconductor is the hydrated layered cobaltate, Na${}_x$CoO${}_2\cdot$ yH${}_2$O, and its superconductivity is realized in the vicinity of a spin-1/2 Mott state. However, the nature of the superconductivity in these materials is still a subject of intense debate, and therefore, finding a new class of superconductors will help unravel the mysteries of their unconventional superconductivity. Here we report the discovery of superconductivity at $\sim$ 6.3 K in our newly synthesized layered compound Na${}_2$CoSe${}_2$O, in which the edge-shared CoSe${}_6$ octahedra form [CoSe${}_2$] layers with a perfect triangular lattice of Co ions. It is the first 3d transition metal oxychalcogenide superconductor with distinct structural and chemical characteristics. Despite its relatively low $T_c$, this material exhibits very high superconducting upper critical fields, $\hat{I}{¼}_0{H}_{c2}(0)$, which far exceeds the Pauli paramagnetic limit by a factor of 3 - 4. First-principles calculations show that Na${}_2$CoSe${}_2$O is a rare example of a negative charge transfer superconductor. This cobalt oxychalcogenide with a geometrical frustration among Co spins shows great potential as a highly appealing candidate for the realization of unconventional and/or high-$T_c$ superconductivity beyond the well-established Cu- and Fe-based superconductor families and opens a new field in the physics and chemistry of low-dimensional superconductors.