Pressure-Induced Superconductivity and Its Scaling with Doping-Induced Superconductivity in the Iron Pnictide with Skutterudite Intermediary Layers

Abstract

The Ca10(PtnAs8)(Fe2As2)5 (n=3,4) compounds are a new type of iron pnictide superconductors whose structures consist of stacking Ca-PtnAs8-Ca-Fe2As2 layers in a unit cell. When n=3 (the 10-3-8 phase), the undoped compound is an antiferromagnetic (AFM) semiconductor, while, when n=4 (the 10-4-8 phase), the undoped compound is a superconductor with the transition temperature of 26K. Here we report the results of high-pressure studies on the 10-3-8 compound obtained through a combination of in-situ resistance, magnetic susceptibility, and Hall coefficient measurements. We find that its AFM order can be suppressed completely at 3.5 GPa and then superconducting state appears in the pressure range of 3.5-7 GPa. The pressure dependence of superconducting transition temperature displays a dome-like shape.