Electron Spins Are Key in Nickelate Superconductors

In 2019, physicists reported the discovery of the first nickel-based superconductor,(Nd,Sr)NiO2. The material’s electronic structure resembles the famous copper-oxide-based (cuprate) superconductors. But while the superconducting transition temperature for cuprates can be as high as 165 K,(Nd,Sr)NiO2 must be cooled below 15 K to become superconducting. In new theoretical work, Hirofumi Sakakibara, of Tottori University in Japan, and colleagues develop a model of the new nickelate superconductor that explains its surprisingly low transition temperature [1]. By comparing the superconducting mechanisms of nickelates and cuprates, the researchers hope to better understand the phenomena that produce superconductivity at higher temperatures.