M.A. Subramanian

The muon-spin-relaxation rate $\ensuremath{\sigma}$ has been measured in sixteen specimens of high-${T}_{c}$ cuprate superconductors (the 2:1:4, 1:2:3, 2:2:1:2, and 2:2:2:3 series). This has allowed us to study the magnetic field penetration depth $\ensuremath{\lambda}$ and thus the superconducting carrier density ${n}_{s}$ divided by the effective mass ${m}^{*}(\ensuremath{\sigma}\ensuremath{\propto}\frac{1}{{\ensuremath{\lambda}}^{2}}\ensuremath{\propto}\frac{{n}_{s}}{{m}^{*}})$. A universal linear relation between ${T}_{c}$ and $\ensuremath{\sigma}(T\ensuremath{\rightarrow}0)\ensuremath{\propto}\frac{{n}_{s}}{{m}^{*}}$ has been found with increasing carrier doping. In heavily doped samples, however, ${T}_{c}$ shows saturation and suppression with increasing $\frac{{n}_{s}}{{m}^{*}}$. This saturation starts at different values of $\frac{{n}_{s}}{{m}^{*}}$ for materials with different multiplicities of CuO planes.

There is now a new series of high-temperature superconductors that may be represented as (A(III)O)(2)A(2)(II)Can-1CunO2+2n where A(III) is Bi or Tl, A(II) is Ba or Sr, and n is the number of Cu-O sheets stacked consecutively. There is a general trend toward higher transition temperatures as n increases. The highest n value for a bulk phase is three and is found when A(III) is Tl. This compound, Tl(2)Ba(2)Ca(2)Cu(3)O(10), has the highest transition temperature( approximately 125 K) of any presently known bulk superconductor. The structure of Tl(2)Ba(2)Ca(2)Cu(3)O(10) has been determined from single-crystal x-ray diffraction data and is tetragonal, with a = 3.85 A and c = 35.9 A. No superstructure is observed, and the material is essentially twin-free. Electron microscopy in the Tl/Ba/Ca/Cu/O system has revealed intergrowths where n = 5; such regions may well be responsible for the superconducting onset behavior observed in this system at about 140 K.

The structures of ${\mathrm{Tl}}_{2}$${\mathrm{Ba}}_{2}$Cu${\mathrm{O}}_{6}$ and ${\mathrm{Bi}}_{2}$${\mathrm{Sr}}_{2}$Cu${\mathrm{O}}_{6}$ have been solved and refined from single-crystal x-ray diffraction data. The structures are essentially the same and have single Cu-O sheets separated by either Tl-O or Bi-O double layers. The ${\mathrm{Tl}}_{2}$${\mathrm{Ba}}_{2}$Cu${\mathrm{O}}_{6}$ structure is tetragonal with $a=3.87$ \AA{} and $c=23.24$ \AA{}, and there are strictly flat Cu-O sheets. ${\mathrm{Bi}}_{2}$${\mathrm{Sr}}_{2}$Cu${\mathrm{O}}_{6}$ has a lower-symmetry structure which may be approximated with an orthorhombic cell with $a=5.36$ \AA{}, $b=5.37$ \AA{}, and $c=24.62$ \AA{}; however, this ignores superstructure reflections along both the $a$ and $c$ axes. The Tl-O layers are much more strongly bound to each other than are the Bi-O layers; thus, better conduction along the $c$ axis is expected for ${\mathrm{Tl}}_{2}$${\mathrm{Ba}}_{2}$Cu${\mathrm{O}}_{6}$ relative to ${\mathrm{Bi}}_{2}$${\mathrm{Sr}}_{2}$Cu${\mathrm{O}}_{6}$. Superconducting transition temperatures of 9 and 90 K were observed for ${\mathrm{Bi}}_{2}$${\mathrm{Sr}}_{2}$Cu${\mathrm{O}}_{6}$ and ${\mathrm{Tl}}_{2}$${\mathrm{Ba}}_{2}$Cu${\mathrm{O}}_{6}$, respectively.