Strain-enhanced superconductivity in RuO 2 thin films: Joint experimental and theoretical studies
Researchers studied superconductivity in RuO2 films grown on TiO2 substrates using both experiments and calculations. They found that compressive strain from lattice mismatch significantly enhances electron-phonon coupling, boosting the critical temperature (Tc) up to ~2.0 K in 20-nm films, demonstrating strain as a powerful tuning mechanism for phonon-mediated superconductivity.