Higher superconducting transition temperature by breaking the universal pressure relation.

By investigating the bulk superconducting state via dc magnetization measurements, we have discovered a common resurgence of the superconducting transition temperatures (Ts) of the monolayer BiSrCuO (Bi2201) and bilayer BiSrCaCuO (Bi2212) to beyond the maximum Ts (Ts) predicted by the universal relation between T and doping () or pressure (P) at higher pressures. The T of underdoped Bi2201 initially increases from 9.6 K at ambient to a peak at 23 K at 26 GPa and then drops as expected from the universal T-P relation. However, at pressures above 40 GPa, T rises rapidly without any sign of saturation up to 30 K at 51 GPa. Similarly, the T for the slightly overdoped Bi2212 increases after passing a broad valley between 20 and 36 GPa and reaches 90 K without any sign of saturation at 56 GPa. We have, therefore, attributed this T resurgence to a possible pressure-induced electronic transition in the cuprate compounds due to a charge transfer between the Cu 3[Formula: see text] and the O 2 bands projected from a hybrid bonding state, leading to an increase of the density of states at the Fermi level, in agreement with our density functional theory calculations. Similar T-P behavior has also been reported in the trilayer BrSrCaCuO (Bi2223). These observations suggest that higher Ts than those previously reported for the layered cuprate high-temperature superconductors can be achieved by breaking away from the universal T-P relation through the application of higher pressures.