Synthesis of LiFeAs superconductor by electrochemistry at room temperature

A new synthesis technique is developed to prepare LiFeAs superconductor at room temperature by using an electrochemical approach which differs from the traditional solid-state reaction at high temperature. Under the electrochemical drive, lithium ions in the solution are inserted into FeAs lattice to directly form LiFeAs on the surface of FeAs substrate at room temperature. The characterization of resulting LiFeAs samples indicates superconducting transition temperature at about 13 K, which is consistent with the reported results. This electrochemical technique offers a promising approach to prepare LiFeAs superconductors as well as thin films. (C) 2010 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3366609]