Proximity-Induced Superconductivity in Atomically Precise Nanographene

Obtaining a robust superconducting state in atomically precise nanographene (NG) structures by proximity to a superconductor could foster the discovery of topological superconductivity in graphene. On-surface synthesis of such NGs has been achieved on noble metals or metal oxides, however, it is sti...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:arXiv.org 2022-02
Main Authors: Jung-Ching, Liu, Pawlak, Rémy, Wang, Xing, D'Astolfo, Philipp, Drechsel, Carl, Zhou, Ping, Decurtins, Silvio, Aschauer, Ulrich, Shi-Xia, Liu, Wulfhekel, Wulf, Meyer, Ernst
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Atomic force microscopy
Graphene
Low temperature
Metal oxides
Noble metals
Substrates
Superconductivity
Superconductors
Thin films
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Obtaining a robust superconducting state in atomically precise nanographene (NG) structures by proximity to a superconductor could foster the discovery of topological superconductivity in graphene. On-surface synthesis of such NGs has been achieved on noble metals or metal oxides, however, it is still absent on superconductors. Here, we present a synthetic method to induce superconductivity to polymeric chains and NGs adsorbed on the superconducting Nb(110) substrate covered by thin Ag films. Using atomic force microscopy at low-temperature, we characterize the chemical structure of each sub-product formed on the superconducting Ag layer. Scanning tunneling spectroscopy further allows us to elucidate electronic properties of these nanostructures, which consistently show a superconducting gap. We foresee our approach to become a promising platform for exploring the interplay between carbon magnetism and superconductivity at the fundamental level.
ISSN:2331-8422