Organic Superconductor

Historically, quasi-low-dimensional superconductors were considered as the main

candidates to observe high-temperature superconductivity. For a discussion of the
related exotic mechanisms of superconductivity, suggested by W. A. Little and V. L.
Ginzburg. Unfortunately, high-temperature superconductivity has not been
discovered yet in quasi-one-dimensional (Q1D) and quasi-two-dimensional (Q2D)
organic materials. Nevertheless, very rich and, in many cases, uniqe physical
properties of their metallic, superconducting, charge- and spin-density-wave phases
allowed P. M. Chaikin to claim that the first organic superconductors, (TMTSF) 2X, are
probably the most interesting electronic materials ever discovered.
Superconductivity is most robust if there is a large energy gap and so, if we want to
find the most robust superconductor with the highest possible critical temperature
Tc,we need material with the large Debye frequency and large coupling constant.
The latter is achieved by having a large and a large density of states at the Fermi
energy.
To understand the basic mechanism of the superconductivity, the fermi surface and
the dynamics of the electrons must be known. Since (TMTSF) 2X is a quasi onedimensional conductor, the conventional theories of electron dynamics cannot be
applied directly. In ordinary metals, the electrons have a circular motion in the plane
normal to the magnetic field direction, whereas in a quasi one-dimensional
conductor, the circular motion are impeded when an electron goes to the less
conductive direction.
It turns out that the superconductivity is very sensitive to nonmagnetic defects. This
has aroused suspicion that the superconductor cannot be an ordinary singlet
superconductor which is usually sensitive to such defects.
Littles suggestion remains the formidable task in synthetic chemistry has not
reached its initial goal but the idea to link organic metallicity and one dimensionality
was launched and turned out to be a very strong stimulant for the development of
organic superconductors. Needless..

(TMTTF)2PF6.
By substitution of TSF for TTF enables us to investigate the roles of constituting
atoms and molecules in their conductance. In (TM) 2X famous phase diagram by D.
Jerome, particularly, even though the most insulating compound of the phase
diagram can be made superconducting at low temperature under a pressure of 45
kbar.