Unusual 'Collapsing' Iron Superconductor Sets Record for Its Class (IMAGE)

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)

Unusual 'Collapsing' Iron Superconductor Sets Record for Its Class

Caption

When calcium atoms (yellow spheres) in these iron-based crystals (left) are replaced on some occasions with praseodymium (blue sphere in right image), the crystals are able to superconduct at up to 47K -- but the crystals can also collapse, shrinking by about 10 percent in size. Adding a sufficient amount of praseodymium is necessary to avoid the collapse, which compromises the materials usability in electronics applications.

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NIST

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