Investigating New Intermetallic Superconductors and the Various Approaches to Finding Superconducting Materials

Abstract

This thesis involves the study of novel intermetallic superconductors and describes several of the approaches that were used to try to find new superconducting materials. In some cases, these approaches were successful, in others they were not. Some situations led to something completely different and unexpected. Part I presents new phases and new magnetic materials that were synthesized with the initial desire to make new superconducting materials. We present the new indium rich compound LaPdIn4, the antiferromagnet CePtIn3.6Zn0.4, and the homometallic ferrimagnetic warwickite V2OBO3. Part II presents the success stories of finding new superconducting materials. We present several new (non-superconducting) sigma-phases that led to the discovery of three new ternary sigma-phase superconductors. We also present the noncentrosymmetric superconductors TaRh2B2 and NbRh2B2, which have higher than expected upper critical magnetic fields. Lastly, the previously unreported superhard boride superconductor WB4.2 and the full-Heusler superconductor LiGa2Rh are also presented and fully characterized.