Removing excess iron reveals FeTe as a superconductor, and its properties can be engineered using layered structures and moiré effects.
Superconductivity is the ability of a material to carry electricity with no energy lost as heat. This property supports highly efficient, ultrafast electronics used in technologies such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), particle accelerators, and potentially quantum computers.
A new study shows that iron telluride (FeTe), a compound made of iron and tellurium and long considered a simple magnetic metal, is actually a superconductor. The researchers discovered that hidden excess iron atoms create the material’s magnetism. When those extra atoms are removed, electricity can move through the material with zero resistance.
The findings are detailed in two papers published back-to-back in the journal Nature, both led by Penn State physicist Cui-Zu Chang. The first paper explains how to activate superconductivity in FeTe. The second describes a new type of “quantum dance” in which superconductivity interacts with the material’s atomic structure when a different top layer is added, allowing scientists to adjust its properties.
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