Superconductivity and single crystal growth of Ni0.05TaS2

Superconductivity was discovered in a Ni0.05TaS2 single crystal. A Ni0.05TaS2 single crystal was successfully grown via the NaCl/KCl flux method. The obtained lattice constant cc of Ni0.05TaS2 is 1.1999 nm, which is significantly smaller than that of 2H–TaS2 (1.208 nm). Electrical resistivity and magnetization measurements reveal that the superconductivity transition temperature of Ni0.05TaS2 is enhanced from 0.8 K (2H–TaS2) to 3.9 K. The charge-density-wave transition of the matrix compound 2H–TaS2 is suppressed in Ni0.05TaS2. The success of Ni0.05TaS2 single crystal growth via a NaCl/KCl flux demonstrates that NaCl/KCl flux method will be a feasible method for single crystal growth of the layered transition metal dichalcogenides.