GOOD-NEWS FROM AN ABANDONED GOLD MINE - A NEW FAMILY OF QUATERNARY INTERMETALLIC SUPERCONDUCTORS

We have recently found, and begun the physical characterization of, a new type of intermetallic superconductor based on rare earths, the transition metals Ni, Pd and Pt, and boron and carbon. The prototype crystal structure, found for LuNi2B2C (T-c = 16.6K), consists of alternating, square LuC - Ni2B2 layers. The highest T-c in the family is found for Y-Pd-B-C at 23K, equivalent to the highest T-c ever observed for an intermetallic material.