We report the preparation of superconducting niobium carbonitride thin films derived from the self-assembly of block copolymers (BCPs) and niobia sol nanoparticles. The niobia sol selectively swells the hydrophilic block of the amphiphilic triblock terpolymer poly(isoprene-<i>b</i>-styrene-<i>b</i>-ethylene oxide) (ISO) and self-assembles into a hybrid network mesostructure. The fabrication route involves facile spin-coating of the solution-processable ISO-niobia hybrid solution and a series of heat treatment in air, ammonia, and carburizing gas at up to 1000 °C. Grazing-incidence X-ray scattering at both small and wide angles confirms controllable mesoporosity, nanocrystallinity of the superconducting film. Electrical transport measurements reveal an intriguing superconducting transition at ~ 13 K with a critical field strength comparable to the bulk materials. The materials system is amenable to patterning through common photolithographic processes to produce microscopic features important for device fabrication. The network architecture may lead to discovery of new physics emergent form structural topology, while the large surface area could enjoy potential use in sensing and detection applications. Thus, such BCP-templated thin-film quantum materials which can readily be incorporated into nanofabrication are expected to provide an accessible pathway for soft matter to create quantum metamaterials that have functionalities with far-reaching significance.

Patternable mesoporous superconducting thin films self-assembled from block copolymers and niobia sol

ACS Fall 2021

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