Superconducting properties of Rh9In4S4 single crystals

The synthesis and crystallographic, thermodynamic, and transport properties of single crystalline Rh 9 In 4 S 4 were studied. The resistivity, magnetization, and specific heat measurements all clearly indicate bulk superconductivity with a critical temperature, T c ∼ 2.25 K. The Sommerfeld coefficient γ and the Debye temperature(Θ D) were found to be 34 mJ mol −1 K −2 and 217 K, respectively. The observed specific heat jump, C/γ T c = 1.66, is larger than the expected BCS weak coupling value of 1.43. Ginzburg-Landau (GL) ratio of the low-temperature GL-penetration depth, λ GL ≈ 5750Å, to the GL-coherence length, ξ GL ≈ 94Å, is large: κ ∼ 60. Furthermore, we observed a peak effect in the resistivity measurement as a function of both temperature and magnetic field.