Is there a common theme behind the correlated-electron superconductivity in organic charge-transfer solids, cobaltates, spinels, and fullerides?

摘要

We posit that there exist deep and fundamental relationships between the above seemingly very different materials. The carrier concentration-dependences of the electronic behavior in the conducting organic charge-transfer solids and layered cobaltates are very similar. These dependences can be explained within a single theoretical model, the extended Hubbard Hamiltonian with significant nearest neighbor Coulomb repulsion. Interestingly, superconductivity in the cobaltates seems to be restricted to bandfilling exactly or close to one-quarter, as in the organics. We show that dynamic Jahn–Teller effects and the resultant orbital ordering can lead to 1/4-filled band descriptions for both superconducting spinels and fullerides, which show evidence for both strong electron–electron and electron–phonon interactions. The orbital order-ings in antiferromagnetic lattice-expanded bcc M_3C_(60) and the superconductor are different in our model. Strong correlations, quarter-filled band and lattice frustration are the common characteristics shared by these unusual superconductors.