Our group is working on superconductivity based on organic hydrocarbon molecules.
In 2010, we published paper on superconductivity of alkali-metal doped picene solids in Nature (Nature, 464, 76 (2010)).
The picene solids doped with potassium showed Tcs as high as 7 and 18 K. 18 K superconductivity
was the highest in organic molecule superconductors. Subsequently, some group reported superconductivity in organic molecular solids
doped with alkali-metals. The crystal structure is still unclear up to now and we are focusing on determination of crystal structure.
These molecular superconductors are very attractive because the superconductors are exactly new-type. At the present stage, our target
is to make high-quality superconducting materials (100% shielding fraction!) and to increase Tc. Now we are using
various chemical techniques for making high-quality molecular superconductors. From viewpoints of physics, the molecular superconductors
are also attractive owing to some interesting behaviors which may not be explained within the framework of BCS theory. |