Pressure-induced superconductivity in van der Waals layered semiconductor SnPSe3

Abstract

As one promising member of the van der Waals layered materials, the metal phosphorus trichalcogenide (MPX₃) family has attracted much attention on account of their unique and abundant properties, providing an excellent platform to further investigate exotic quantum states in low-dimensional systems. Here, we present a report on pressure-induced superconductivity in SnPSe₃. The high-pressure studies combined with electrical transport, synchrotron X-ray diffraction, and Raman spectroscopy consistently reveal that a superconductivity transition emerges with metallization at a critical pressure P_c1 ∼ 16.2 GPa, which stems from the structural phase transition. Furthermore, SnPSe₃ evolves into the amorphous state above P_c2 ∼ 31.9 GPa, while the superconductivity is suppressed, but still persists up to 80.2 GPa. These findings not only enrich the study of van der Waals materials, but also encourage us to explore novel superconductors by means of pressure treatment.