Superconducting characteristics of 4-[Angstrom] carbon nanotube-zeolite composite

We have fabricated nanocomposites consisting of 4-[Angstrom] carbon nanotubes embedded in the 0.7-nm pores of aluminophosphatefive (AFI) zeolite that display a superconducting specific heat transition at 15 K. MicroRaman spectra of the samples show strong and spatially uniform radial breathing mode (RBM) signals at 510 [cm.sup.-1] and 550 [cm.sup.-1], characteristic of the (4, 2) and (5, 0) nanotubes, respectively. The specific heat transition is suppressed at > 2 T, with a temperature dependence characteristic of finite-size effects. Comparison with theory shows the behavior to be consistent with that of a type II BCS superconductor, characterized by a coherence length of 14 [+ or -] 2 nm and a magnetic penetration length of 1.5 [+ or -] 0.7 [micro]m. Four probe and differential resistance measurements have also indicated a superconducting transition initiating at 15 K, but the magnetoresistance data indicate the superconducting network to be inhomogeneous, with a component being susceptible to magnetic fields below 3 T and other parts capable of withstanding a magnetic field of 5 T or beyond. resistance transition | specific heat | superconductivity