The observation of superconductivity in infinite-layer nickelates has attracted significant attention due to its potential as a new platform for exploring high Tc superconductivity. However, thus far, superconductivity has only been observed in epitaxial thin films, which limits the manipulation capabilities and modulation methods compared to two-dimensional exfoliated materials. Given the exceptionally giant strain tunability and stacking capability of freestanding membranes, separating superconducting nickelates from the as-grown substrate is a novel way to engineer the superconductivity and uncover the underlying physics. Herein, we report the synthesis of the superconducting freestanding La0.8Sr0.2NiO2 membranes (Tc=10.9K), emphasizing the crucial roles of the interface engineering in the precursor phase film growth and the quick transfer process in achieving superconductivity. Our work offers a new versatile platform for investigating the superconductivity in nickelates, such as the pairing symmetry via constructing Josephson tunneling junctions and higher Tc values via high-pressure experiments.
@article{arxiv.2401.15980,
title = {Superconductivity in freestanding infinite-layer nickelate membranes},
author = {Shengjun Yan and Wei Mao and Wenjie Sun and Yueying Li and Haoying Sun and Jiangfeng Yang and Bo Hao and Wei Guo and Leyan Nian and Zhengbin Gu and Peng Wang and Yuefeng Nie},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2401.15980},
year = {2025}
}