Anomalous in-plane electronic scattering in charge ordered Na0.41CoO2·0.6H2O

Phys Rev Lett. 2012 Jun 8;108(23):236401. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.108.236401. Epub 2012 Jun 6.

Abstract

We report electronic transport measurements on high quality floating zone grown Na(x)CoO2 and Na0.41CoO2·0.6H2O single crystals. We find an in-plane electronic scattering minimum near 11 K and a clear charge ordering at approximately 50 K. The electronic and magnetic properties in hydrated and nonhydrated Na0.41CoO2 samples are similar at higher temperature, but evolve in markedly different ways below ∼50 K, where a strong ferromagnetic tendency is observed in the hydrated sample. Model calculations show the relationship of this tendency to the structure of the Fermi surface. The results, particularly the clear differences between the hydrated and nonhydrated material show a substantially enhanced ferromagnetic tendency upon hydration. Implications for superconductivity are discussed.