Graphene gets superconducting capabilities

Researchers from INAC, Institut Néel, and SIMAP recently figured out a way to observe the proximity effect in graphene—a phenomenon that occurs when a normally non-superconducting material is placed in contact with a superconducting material—under optimal conditions.
To do so, they created a system in which the graphene remains totally free from atomic defects. Their technological advancement uses CVD to deposit graphene on thin rhenium (superconducting at 2 K) films measuring just 30 nm thick. The CVD process ensures that the two materials are solidly bonded together while protecting the graphene’s purity and two-dimensional and ballistic properties.
The researchers’ findings were published in Physical Review Letters. They next plan to look at oxygen-intercalated graphene, using tunneling spectroscopy to observe the material’s superconductivity.

Contact: claude.chapelier@cea.fr

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