We observe an unusual combination of normal and superconducting state properties without any signature of strong spin fluctuations in single-crystal Ir 3 Te 8 .The electrical resistivity does not saturate by 700 K, but exhibits a low resistivity ratio; and it also exhibits two extended linear regimes (approximately 20 to 330 K and 370 to 700 K) with the same slope, separated by a small hysteretic interval marking a strongly first-order phase transition from cubic to rhombohedral lattice symmetry at T S = 350 K. The electronic heat capacity coefficient (11 mJ/mole-K 2 ) is consistent with a net diamagnetic, rather than Pauli paramagnetic, normal state that yields to superconductivity below a critical temperature T C = 1.8 K. The size of the heat capacity jump near T C indicates bulk superconductivity.2

Titanic acid nanotubes (with a chemical formula H 2 Ti 2 O 4 (OH) 2 , abbreviated as TANTs) were synthesized by the hydrothermal method using commercial TiO 2 nanoparticle powder (P25, Degussa, Germany) including anatase and rutile phase as a starting material. Conversion from nanoparticles to nanotubes was achieved by treating the nanoparticle powder with 10 M NaOH aqueous solution. Absorption and photoluminescence (PL) data indicate that the nanotubes obtained under slow and suitable drying and heating conditions had very strong and stable visible absorption with three peaks at 515, 575, and 675 nm and photoluminescence at room temperature in air.