Superconductive MgB2 Intercalated Muscovite with Dynamically Tunable Stress.

ABSTRACT

In this study, we utilized a stress-sensitive superconductor MgB2 in combination with a flexible muscovite, a layered silicate, to demonstrate that materials in a reduced-dimension environment could be influenced by external strain. MgB2 nanocrystals were inserted into the muscovite interlayers using gas phase intercalation, creating a two-dimensional cavity-like structure. Several experiments confirmed that the cavity-induced static pressure from the intercalation effect and the external dynamic bending effect can affect the physical properties of MgB2. The results of analyzing the changes in superconducting critical temperature (T c) indicate that the dynamic bending effect corresponds to an applied pressure of approximately 1.2 GPa. This method demonstrates that muscovite intercalation serves as a versatile platform for evaluating the stress effects on functional materials in reduced dimensions under ambient conditions.