Electrical and Magnetic Behavior of GdOH Thin Films: A Search for Hydrogen Anion Superconductivity

Abstract

Anomalous resistive and magnetic behavior of GdOH thin films, which belong to novel class of materials known as oxyhydrides, is reported. The oxyhydrides contain hydrogen in its rare negatively-charged anion state in combination with oxygen, which is also in the anion state. A range of GdOH films prepared on glass and single-crystalline substrates demonstrate resistive transition from an insulating to conducting state with decrease of resistance starting as high as at about 200 K. At room temperature, the resistance per square area for the best GdOH films of the thickness of 200 nm is about 100 Ohm, which is close to the resistance of the films of hightemperature superconductors of similar thickness. Apparent zero resistance is observed at about 40 K. Magneto-optical imaging registers effect of trapping magnetic flux typical for the superconducting state. The possible anion superconductivity is discussed in connection with recently published papers on near-room-temperature superconductivity in hydrides at high pressure and hydrogen-based superconductivity in biological systems.

Nano Superconductivity and Quantum Processing of Information in Living Organisms

“…Combining these elements together and presenting them in quasi one-dimensional form, like in the model of Little [2], leads one to structural water, which, in microtubules, is confined to an extremely narrow channel, with an inner diameter of 15 nm. The exact mechanism of superconductivity in microtubules is not known yet, although it is almost certain that it should be based on electron-electron interaction [2] and perhaps reflect ability of hydrogen to be in anion state, as discussed in [13].…”