Superconductivity and structure of gallium under nanoconfinement

Superconductivity and crystalline structure were studied for two nanocomposites consisting of gallium loaded porous glasses with different pore sizes. The superconducting transition temperatures were found to differ from those in known bulk gallium modifications. The transition temperatures 7.1 and 6.7 K were ascribed to two new confined gallium structures, iota- and kappa-Ga, observed by synchrotron radiation x-ray powder diffraction. The evolution of superconductivity on decreasing the pore filling with gallium was also studied.