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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 28 February 2011
The La-Ba-Cu-O system contains several phases of special interest in the field of high Tc superconductivity. Specifically intriguing is the La3−xBa3+xCu6O4+y (“3–3–6”) phase [1,2], the La1·8 5Ba·1 5CuO4 (‘K2NiF4’) phase with a zero resistance temperature (Tc) of about 20 K [3,4], and the La1Ba2CU3O9–6 (“1–2–3”) phase with Tc's reported up to 75 K [5–7]. It has been suggested that the “3–3–6” phase may also be superconducting, especially in a Ba-doped version such that the stoichiometry is 2–4–6 [8–10]. In addition to defining a new high temperature superconducting phase, this latter suggestion would also rule out the possibility of Cu-0 “chains” being important to 90 K superconductivity since these chains are absent in the proposed configuration [1,2] of this phase.