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1. Creating superconductivity in WB2 through pressure-induced metastable planar defects

   Lim, J. ; A. C. Hire ; Y. Quan ; J. S. Kim ; S. R. Xie ; S. Sinha ; R. S. Kumar ; D. Popov ; C. Park ; R. J. Hemley ; et al ( January 2022 , Nature communications)

   - (Ed.)

   High-pressure electrical resistivity measurements reveal that the mechanical deformation of ultra-hard WB2 during compression induces superconductivity above 50 GPa with a maximum super-conducting critical temperature, Tc of 17 K at 91 GPa. Upon further compression up to 187 GPa, the Tc gradually decreases. Theoretical calculations show that electron-phonon mediated super-conductivity originates from the formation of metastable stacking faults and twin boundaries that exhibit a local structure resembling MgB2 (hP3, space group 191, prototype AlB2). Synchrotron x-ray diffraction measurements up to 145 GPa show that the ambient pressure hP12 structure (space group 194, prototype WB2) continues to persist to this pressure, consistent with the formation of the planar defects above 50 GPa. The abrupt appearance of superconductivity under pressure does not coincide with a structural transition but instead with the formation and percolation of mechanically-induced stacking faults and twin boundaries. The results identify an alternate route for designing superconducting materials. 

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2. First principles study of dense and metallic nitric sulfur hydrides

   https://doi.org/10.1038/s42004-021-00517-y  

   Li, Xiaofeng ; Lowe, Angus ; Conway, Lewis ; Miao, Maosheng ; Hermann, Andreas ( December 2021 , Communications Chemistry)

   Abstract Studies of molecular mixtures containing hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S) could open up new routes towards hydrogen-rich high-temperature superconductors under pressure. H 2 S and ammonia (NH 3 ) form hydrogen-bonded molecular mixtures at ambient conditions, but their phase behavior and propensity towards mixing under pressure is not well understood. Here, we show stable phases in the H 2 S–NH 3 system under extreme pressure conditions to 4 Mbar from first-principles crystal structure prediction methods. We identify four stable compositions, two of which, (H 2 S) (NH 3 ) and (H 2 S) (NH 3 ) 4 , are stable in a sequence of structures to the Mbar regime. A re-entrant stabilization of (H 2 S) (NH 3 ) 4 above 300 GPa is driven by a marked reversal of sulfur-hydrogen chemistry. Several stable phases exhibit metallic character. Electron–phonon coupling calculations predict superconducting temperatures up to 50 K, in the Cmma phase of (H 2 S) (NH 3 ) at 150 GPa. The present findings shed light on how sulfur hydride bonding and superconductivity are affected in molecular mixtures. They also suggest a reservoir for hydrogen sulfide in the upper mantle regions of icy planets in a potentially metallic mixture, which could have implications for their magnetic field formation. 

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3. Pressure-induced superconductivity in a novel germanium allotrope

   https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mtphys.2024.101338  

   Deng, Liangzi ; Zhang, Jianbo ; Sakai, Yuki ; Tang, Zhongjia ; Adnani, Moein ; Dahal, Rabin ; Litvinchuk, Alexander P. ; Chelikowsky, James R. ; Cohen, Marvin L. ; Hemley, Russell J. ; et al ( February 2024 , Materials Today Physics)

   - (Ed.)

   High-pressure studies on elements play an essential role in superconductivity research, with implications for both fundamental science and applications. Here we report the experimental discovery of surprisingly low pressure driving a novel germanium allotrope into a superconducting state in comparison to that for α-Ge. Raman measurements revealed structural phase transitions and possible electronic topological transitions under pressure up to 58 GPa. Based on pressure-dependent resistivity measurements, superconductivity was induced above 2 GPa and the maximum Tc of 6.8 K was observed under 4.6 GPa. Interestingly, a superconductivity enhancement was discovered during decompression, indicating the possibility of maintaining pressure-induced superconductivity at ambient pressure with better superconducting performance. Density functional theory analysis further suggested that the electronic structure of Ge (oP32) is sensitive to its detailed geometry and revealed that disorder in the β-tin structure leads to a higher Tc in comparison to the perfect β-tin Ge. 

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4. Superconductor–insulator transitions in three-dimensional indium-oxide at high pressures

   https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-648X/ac48bf  

   Hen, Bar ; Shelukhin, Victor ; Greenberg, Eran ; Rozenberg, Gregory Kh ; Kapitulnik, Aharon ; Palevski, Alexander ( January 2022 , Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter)

   Experiments investigating magnetic-field-tuned superconductor–insulator transition (HSIT) mostly focus on two-dimensional material systems where the transition and its proximate ground-state phases, often exhibit features that are seemingly at odds with the expected behavior. Here we present a complementary study of a three-dimensional pressure-packed amorphous indium-oxide (InOx) powder where granularity controls the HSIT. Above a low threshold pressure of ∼0.2 GPa, vestiges of superconductivity are detected, although neither a true superconducting transition nor insulating behavior are observed. Instead, a saturation at very high resistivity at low pressure is followed by saturation at very low resistivity at higher pressure. We identify both as different manifestations of anomalous metallic phases dominated by superconducting fluctuations. By analogy with previous identification of the low resistance saturation as a ‘failed superconductor’, our data suggests that the very high resistance saturation is a manifestation of a ‘failed insulator’. Above a threshold pressure of ∼6 GPa, the sample becomes fully packed, and superconductivity is robust, withT_Ctunable with pressure. A quantum critical point atP_C∼ 25 GPa marks the complete suppression of superconductivity. For a finite pressure belowP_C, a magnetic field is shown to induce a HSIT from a true zero-resistance superconducting state to a weakly insulating behavior. Determining the critical field,H_C, we show that similar to the 2D behavior, the insulating-like state maintains a superconducting character, which is quenched at higher field, above which the magnetoresistance decreases to its fermionic normal state value.

    

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5. Metalorganic chemical vapor deposition of (100) β-Ga 2 O 3 on on-axis Ga 2 O 3 substrates

   https://doi.org/10.1116/6.0002179  

   Meng, Lingyu ; Bhuiyan, A F ; Feng, Zixuan ; Huang, Hsien-Lien ; Hwang, Jinwoo ; Zhao, Hongping ( December 2022 , Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology A)

   Metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) growths of β-Ga 2 O 3 on on-axis (100) Ga 2 O 3 substrates are comprehensively investigated. Key MOCVD growth parameters including growth temperature, pressure, group VI/III molar flow rate ratio, and carrier gas flow rate are mapped. The dependence of the growth conditions is correlated with surface morphology, growth rate, and electron transport properties of the MOCVD grown (100) β-Ga 2 O 3 thin films. Lower shroud gas (argon) flow is found to enhance the surface smoothness with higher room temperature (RT) electron Hall mobility. The growth rate of the films decreases but with an increase of electron mobility as the VI/III molar flow rate ratio increases. Although no significant variation on the surface morphologies is observed at different growth temperatures, the general trend of electron Hall mobilities are found to increase with increasing growth temperature. The growth rates reduce significantly with uniform surface morphologies as the chamber pressure increases. By tuning the silane flow rate, the controllable carrier concentration of (100) β-Ga 2 O 3 thin films between low-10 17  cm −3 and low-10 18  cm −3 was achieved. Under optimized growth condition, an (100) β-Ga 2 O 3 thin film with RMS roughness value of 1.64 nm and a RT mobility of 24 cm 2 /Vs at a carrier concentration of 7.0 × 10 17  cm −3 are demonstrated. The mobilities are primarily limited by the twin lamellae and stacking faults defects generated from the growth interface. Atomic resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy reveals the formation of twin boundary defects in the films, resulting in the degradation of crystalline quality. Results from this work provide fundamental understanding of the MOCVD epitaxy of (100) β-Ga 2 O 3 on on-axis Ga 2 O 3 substrates and the dependence of the material properties on growth conditions. The limitation of electron transport properties of the (100) β-Ga 2 O 3 thin films below 25 cm 2 /Vs is attributed to the formation of incoherent boundaries (twin lamellae) and stacking faults grown along the on-axis (100) crystal orientation. 

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