Superconductivity and phase diagrams of the 4d-and 5d-metal-doped iron arsenides SrFe2-xMxAs2 (M=Rh,Ir,Pd)

By substituting the Fe with the 4d- and 5d-transition metals Rh, Ir, and Pd in SrFe2As2, we have successfully synthesized a series of superconductors SrFe2-xMxAs2 (M=Rh, Ir, and Pd) and explored the phase diagrams of them. The systematic evolution of the lattice constants indicated that part of the Fe ions were successfully replaced by the transition metals Rh, Ir, and Pd. By increasing the doping content of Rh, Ir, and Pd, the antiferromagnetic (AF) state of the parent phase is suppressed progressively and superconductivity is induced. The general phase diagrams were obtained and found to be similar to the case of doping Co and Ni to the Fe sites. However, the detailed structure of the phase diagram, in terms of how fast to suppress the antiferromagnetic order and induce the superconductivity, varies from one kind of doped element to another. Regarding the close values of the maximum superconducting transition temperatures in doping Co, Rh, and Ir which locate actually in the same column in the periodic table of elements but have very different masses, we argue that the superconductivity is intimately related to the suppression of the AF order, rather than the electron-phonon coupling.