Rational Synthesis of Superconductors

A postdoc level personal effort will be involved in the program for investigation of superconducting behavior in a variety of materials including chalcogenides, pnictides and intermetallic alloys exhibiting competing interactions and in narrow gap semiconductors. The project pursues a multi-faceted approach that combines the rational design of novel materials with structural and electronic probes. This program aims to create materials with a high degree of structural and compositional freedom and chemical/electronic complexity with which to investigate (a) density-wave instabilities (spin and charge), and their suppression through chemical doping in order to generate superconductivity that may emerge from phase competition, and (b) how narrow energy band gaps and facile doping properties could lead to a superconducting state. In the former low-dimensional intermetallics exhibiting magnetic interactions and spin density waves will be investigated. In the latter narrow band ternary and quaternary chalcogenide phases comprising heavy elements such as lead, bismuth, selenium and tellurium will be probed. The project focuses on relationships between structure, composition, electronic structure and physical properties. The impact to the programs involved in condensed matter physics including superconductivity can be significant by providing new discoveries and high quality grown specimens thereby fueling strong synergies across many other related researches.