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We report the synthesis and superconducting properties of a layered cage compound Ba3Rh4Ge16. Similar to Ba3Ir4Ge16, the compound is composed of 2D networks of cage units, formed by noncubic Rhâ€"Ge building blocks, in marked contrast to the reported rattling compounds. The electrical resistivity, magnetization, specific heat capacity, and ÎĽ SR measurements unveiled moderately coupled s-wave superconductivity with a critical temperature T c = 7.0 K, the upper critical field ÎĽ 0 H c2(0) ∼ 2.5 T, the electron-phonon coupling strength λ eâˆ'ph ∼ 0.80, and the Ginzburgâ€"Landau parameter Îş ∼ 7.89. The mass reduction with the substitution of Ir by Rh is believed to be responsible for the enhancement of T c and coupling between the cage and guest atoms. Our results highlight the importance of atomic weight of framework in cage compounds in controlling the λ eâˆ'ph strength and T c. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the synthesis and superconducting properties of a layered cage compound Ba3Rh4Ge16. Similar to Ba3Ir4Ge16, the compound is composed of 2D networks of cage units, formed by noncubic Rhâ€"Ge building blocks, in marked contrast to the reported rattling compounds. The electrical resistivity, magnetization, specific heat capacity, and ÎĽ SR measurements unveiled moderately coupled s-wave superconductivity with a critical temperature T c = 7.0 K, the upper critical field ÎĽ 0 H c2(0) ∼ 2.5 T, the electron-phonon coupling strength λ eâˆ'ph ∼ 0.80, and the Ginzburgâ€"Landau parameter Îş ∼ 7.89. The mass reduction with the substitution of Ir by Rh is believed to be responsible for the enhancement of T c and coupling between the cage and guest atoms. Our results highlight the importance of atomic weight of framework in cage compounds in controlling the λ eâˆ'ph strength and T c. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]