Crystal structures and sign reversal Hall resistivities in iron-based superconductors Lix(C3H10N2)0.32FeSe ( 0.15 < x < 0.4 )*

Abstract

Heavy electron-doped FeSe-derived materials have attracted attention due to their uncommon electronic structures with only ‘electron pockets’, and they are different from other iron-based superconductors. Here, we report the crystal structures, superconductivities and normal state properties of two new Li-doped FeSe-based materials, i.e., Li0.15(C3H10N2)0.32FeSe (P-4) and Li x (C3H10N2)0.32FeSe (P4/nmm, 0.25 < x < 0.4 ) with superconducting transition temperatures ranging from 40 K to 46 K. The determined crystal structures reveal a coupling between Li concentration and the orientation of 1,3-diaminopropane molecules within the largely expanded FeSe layers. Superconducting fluctuations appear in the resistivity of the two superconductors and are fitted in terms of the quasi two-dimensional (2D) Lawrence–Doniach model. The existence of a crossing point and scaling behavior in the T-dependence of diamagnetic response also suggests that the two superconductors belong to the quasi-2D system. Interestingly, with the increase of temperature, a sign of Hall coefficient (R H) reversing from negative to positive is observed at ∼185 K in both phases, suggesting that ‘hole pockets’ emerge in these electron-doped FeSe materials. First principle calculations indicate that the increase in FeSe layer distance will lift up a ‘hole band’ associated with d x 2 − y 2 character and increase the hole carriers. Our findings suggest that the increase in two dimensionalities may lead to the sign-reversal Hall resistivity in Li x (C3H10N2)0.32FeSe at high temperature.