Fudan University Creates Single CuO₂ Layer High-Temperature Superconductor
Researchers at Fudan University have successfully fabricated a copper-based high-temperature superconductor containing just one CuO₂ layer. This achievement confirms the two-dimensional nature of high-temperature superconductivity.
Scientists at Fudan University's School of Physics have successfully created a copper-based high-temperature superconductor comprising a single layer of copper oxide (CuO₂). Announced via a publication in the journal Nature, this marks the first instance of producing such a single-layer superconducting material. The research validates the theory that high-temperature superconductivity is fundamentally a two-dimensional phenomenon.
The research team, led by Professor Zhang Yuanbo, managed to thin the copper-based high-temperature superconductor down to a single superconducting plane. This significant step not only confirms the two-dimensional essence of high-temperature superconductivity but also uncovers peculiar 'strange metal states' and quantum critical phenomena at the edge of the superconducting-insulating transition. This provides a novel quantum experimental platform for investigating the mechanisms behind high-temperature superconductivity.
Superconductors, materials exhibiting zero electrical resistance below a critical temperature, hold potential for applications in power transmission, energy storage, medical imaging, magnetic levitation trains, and quantum computing. Understanding their fundamental mechanisms has been a long-standing challenge in science for nearly forty years.
Fabricating and measuring such atomically thin two-dimensional planes presented substantial experimental hurdles, including material fragility, sensitivity to atmospheric conditions and processing, and precise control of oxygen content. Facing a lack of specialized equipment, the Fudan team developed their own instruments and an 'in situ' control technique. This allowed for precise adjustment of the material's oxygen doping and achieved a high doping resolution, enabling the observation of the complete physical phase diagram, from the Mott insulating phase to the entire superconducting dome.
The team describes this breakthrough as providing a "controllable variable" that allows researchers to systematically track the complete transformation path of superconductivity. Future research will focus on exploring new high-performance superconductors and advancing material fabrication and measurement techniques in the field of novel two-dimensional quantum materials.