Crystal growth, transport properties, and crystal structure of the single-crystal La2-xBaxCuO4 (x=0.11) -: art. no. 144524

We have attempted the crystal growth by the traveling-solvent floating-zone (TSFZ) method of La2-xBaxCuO4 (x similar to1/8), where the superconductivity is strongly suppressed. Under flowing O-2 gas at high pressure (4 bars), we have succeeded in growing single crystals for x=0.11 of 5 mm in diameter and 20 mm in length. Both in-plane and out-of-plane electrical resistivities of single-en,stal La2-xBaxCuO4 (x=0.11) exhibit a clear jump at similar to 53 K. The temperature corresponds to the structural phase transition temperature between the orthorhombic midtemperature and tetragonal low-temperature phases, T-d2. Both in-plane thermoelectric power and Hall coefficient drop rapidly at T-d2 and decrease below T-d2 with decreasing temperature. These results are quite similar to those observed in single-crystal La1.6-xNd0.4SrxCuO4 (x similar to1/8), suggesting that the so-called static stripe order of holes and spins in the CuO2 plane is formed below T-d2 in La2-xBaxCuO4 (x similar to1/8) as well as in La1.6-xNd0.4SrxCuO4 (x similar to1/8).