High-temperature field-free superconducting diode effect in high-Tc cuprates

Shichao Qi; Jun Ge; Chengcheng Ji; Yiwen Ai; Gaoxing Ma; Ziqiao Wang; Zihan Cui; Yi Liu; Ziqiang Wang; Jian Wang

doi:10.1038/s41467-025-55880-4

High-temperature field-free superconducting diode effect in high-T_c cuprates

Nat Commun. 2025 Jan 9;16(1):531. doi: 10.1038/s41467-025-55880-4.

Authors

Shichao Qi^#¹, Jun Ge^#¹, Chengcheng Ji^#^{1

2}, Yiwen Ai¹, Gaoxing Ma¹, Ziqiao Wang¹, Zihan Cui³, Yi Liu^{3

4}, Ziqiang Wang⁵, Jian Wang^{6

7

8}

Affiliations

¹ International Center for Quantum Materials, School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing, China.
² Hefei National Laboratory, Hefei, China.
³ Department of Physics and Beijing Key Laboratory of Opto-electronic Functional Materials & Micro-nano Devices, Renmin University of China, Beijing, China.
⁴ Key Laboratory of Quantum State Construction and Manipulation (Ministry of Education), Renmin University of China, Beijing, China.
⁵ Department of Physics, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA, USA.
⁶ International Center for Quantum Materials, School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing, China. jianwangphysics@pku.edu.cn.
⁷ Hefei National Laboratory, Hefei, China. jianwangphysics@pku.edu.cn.
⁸ Collaborative Innovation Center of Quantum Matter, Beijing, China. jianwangphysics@pku.edu.cn.

^# Contributed equally.

PMID: 39788968
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-55880-4

Abstract

The superconducting diode effect (SDE) is defined by the difference in the magnitude of critical currents applied in opposite directions. It has been observed in various superconducting systems and attracted high research interests. However, the operating temperature of the SDE is typically low and/or the sample structure is rather complex. For the potential applications in non-dissipative electronics, efficient superconducting diodes working in zero magnetic field with high operating temperatures and a simple configuration are highly desired. Here, we report the observation of a SDE under zero magnetic field with operating temperatures up to 72 K and efficiency as high as 22% at 53 K in high-transition-temperature (high-T_c) cuprate superconductor Bi₂Sr₂CaCu₂O_8+δ (BSCCO) flake devices. The rectification effect persists beyond two hundred sweeping cycles, confirming the stability of the superconducting diode. Our results offer promising developments for potential applications in non-dissipative electronics, and provide insights into the mechanism of field-free SDE and symmetry breakings in high-T_c superconductors.

Grants and funding

12488201/National Natural Science Foundation of China (National Science Foundation of China)