Enhancement of the superconducting transition temperature of FeSe by intercalation of a molecular spacer layer

The discovery of high-temperature superconductivity in a layered iron arsenide(1) has led to an intensive search to optimize the superconducting properties of iron-based superconductors by changing the chemical composition of the spacer layer between adjacent anionic iron arsenide layers(2-7). Superconductivity has been found in iron arsenides with cationic spacer layers consisting of metal ions (for example, Li+, Na+, K+, Ba2+) or PbO- or perovskite-type oxide layers, and also in Fe1.01Se (ref. 8) with neutral layers similar in structure to those found in the iron arsenides and no spacer layer. Here we demonstrate the synthesis of Li-x(NH2)(y)(NH3)(1-y)Fe2Se2 (x similar to 0.6; y similar to 0.2), with lithium ions, lithium amide and ammonia acting as the spacer layer between FeSe layers, which exhibits superconductivity at 43(1) K, higher than in any FeSe-derived compound reported so far. We have determined the crystal structure using neutron powder diffraction and used magnetometry and muon-spin rotation data to determine the superconducting properties. This new synthetic route opens up the possibility of further exploitation of related molecular intercalations in this and other systems to greatly optimize the superconducting properties in this family.