Growth of single-crystal Ca10(Pt4As8)(Fe(1.8)Pt(0.2)As2)5 nanowhiskers with superconductivity up to 33 K

Single-crystal Ca(10)(Pt(4)As(8))(Fe(1.8)Pt(0.2)As(2))(5) superconducting (SC) nanowhiskers with widths down to hundreds of nanometers were successfully grown in a Ta capsule in an evacuated quartz tube by a flux method. Magnetic and electrical properties measurements demonstrate that the whiskers have excellent crystallinity with critical temperature of up to 33 K, upper critical field of 52.8 T, and critical current density of J(c) of 6.0 x 10(5) A/cm(2) (at 26 K). Since cuprate high-T(c) SC whiskers are fragile ceramics, the present intermetallic SC whiskers with high T(c) have better opportunities for device applications. Moreover, although the growth mechanism is not understood well, the technique can be potentially useful for growth of other whiskers containing toxic elements.