Intercalation route to new hybrid organic-inorganic superconductors

Recently, we have successfully synthesized new type of high-T_c superconductors of (HgX₂)_0.5Bi₂Sr₂Ca _m-1Cu_mO_y(X=Br, I, and m = 1, 2) by means of intercalation technique. From the X-ray difrraction(XRD) and X-ray absorption spectroscopy(XAS) analyses, we found that the intercalated mercuric halides are stabilized as the isolated gaseous molecules in the interlayer space of superconducting lattice, leading to an increase of basal spacing. A small amount of charge transfer between guest molecule and host lattice could be observed upon intercalation with a slight depression of T_c. For the extension of metal halide intercalation into high-T_c, superconductor, we have developed new type of hybridized superconducting nanohybrid with periodic stacking of organic and superconducting layer by stepwise synthetic approach, where organic compounds are stabilized in the form of organic-inorganic complex salt in-between Bi-O double layers of Bi-based high- T_c cuprates. The synthetic strategy proposed here can be applicable to many other layered systems.