Intercalation Complexes of Lewis Bases and Layered Sulfides: A Large Class of New Superconductors

Exploration of the generality of the recently discovered reaction whereby certain organic molecules can be inserted between the metallic layers of the superconductors tantalum disulfide and niobium disulfide revealed that a large variety of organic and inorganic molecules can penetrate between the crystalline layers of a number of transition metal dichalcogenides and that the resulting complexes are superconducting if the layered chalcogenide from which they are formed is superconducting. The critical temperatures of the 50 new superconductors we report depend on the nature of the intercalate but are insensitive to a separation of the superconducting planes of up to 57 angstroms.