SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AT 45-K IN RB/TL CODOPED C60 AND C60/C70 MIXTURES

The appearance of superconductivity at relatively high temperatures in alkali metal-doped C60 fullerene provides the challenge to both understand the nature and origin of the superconductivity and to determine the upper limit of the superconducting transition temperature (T(c)). Towards the latter goal, it is shown that doping with potassium-thallium and rubidium-thallium alloys in the 400 to 430-degrees-C temperature range increases the T(c) of C60/C70 mixtures to 25.6 K and above 45 K, respectively. Similar increases in T(c) were also observed upon analogous doping of pure C60. Partial substitution of potassium with thallium in interstitial sites between C60 molecules is suggested by larger observed unit cell parameters than for the K3C60 and K4C60 phases. Contrary to previous results for C60 doped with different alkali metals, such expansion does not alone account for the changes in critical temperature.