Lix(C5H5N)yFe2-zSe2: A Defect-Resilient Expanded-Lattice High-Temperature Superconductor

Two-dimensional iron chalcogenide intercalates display a remarkable correlation of the interlayer spacing with enhancement of the superconducting critical temperature (Tc). In this work, synchrotron X-ray absorption (XAS; at the Fe and Se K-edges) and emission (XES; at the Fe Κβ) spectroscopies allow one to discuss how the important rise of Tc (~44 K) in the molecule-intercalated Lix(C5H5N)yFe2-zSe2 relates to the electronic and local structural changes felt by the inorganic host upon doping (x). XES shows that widely separated layers of edge-sharing FeSe4 tetrahedra carry low-spin moieties, with a local Fe magnetic moment slightly reduced compared to the parent β-Fe2-zSe2. Pre-edge XAS expresses the progressively reduced mixing of metal 3d-4p states upon lithiation. Doping-mediated local lattice modifications, probed by conventional Tc optimization measures (cf. the anion height and FeSe4 tetrahedra regularity), become less relevant when layers are spaced far away. On the basis of extended X-ray absorption fine structure, such distortions are compensated by a softer Fe network that relates to Fe-site vacancies, alleviating electron-lattice correlations and superconductivity. Density functional theory (DFT) guided modification of the isolated Fe2-zSe2 (z, vacant sites) planes, resembling the host layers, identify that Fe-site deficiency occurs at low energy cost, giving rise to stretched Fe sheets, in accordance with experiments. Here, the robust high-Tc in Lix(C5H5N)yFe2-zSe2, arises from the interplay of electron-donating spacers and the iron selenide layer's tolerance to defect chemistry, a tool to favorably tune its Fermi surface properties.