Issue 24, 2024

Discovery of superconductivity in technetium borides at moderate pressures

Abstract

Advances in theoretical calculations have boosted the search for high-temperature superconductors, such as sulfur hydrides and rare-earth polyhydrides. However, the required extremely high pressures for stabilizing these superconductors has handicapped further implementation. Based upon thorough structural searches, we identified a series of unprecedented superconducting technetium borides at moderate pressures, including TcB (P63/mmc) with a superconducting transition temperature of Tc = 20.2 K at ambient pressure and TcB2 (P6/mmm) with Tc = 23.1 K at 20 GPa. Superconductivity in these technetium borides mainly originates from the coupling between the low-frequency vibrations of technetium atoms and the dominant technetium-4d electrons at the Fermi level. Our work therefore presents a fresh group in the family of superconducting borides, whose diversified crystal structures suggest rich possibilities in the discovery of other superconducting transition-metal borides.

Graphical abstract: Discovery of superconductivity in technetium borides at moderate pressures

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
16 Jan 2024
Accepted
18 Apr 2024
First published
25 Apr 2024

Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2024,26, 16963-16971

Discovery of superconductivity in technetium borides at moderate pressures

X. Tao, A. Yang, Y. Quan, B. Wan, S. Yang and P. Zhang, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2024, 26, 16963 DOI: 10.1039/D4CP00191E

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