Enhancement of superconducting properties in the La-Ce-H system at moderate pressures

Wuhao Chen; Xiaoli Huang; Dmitrii V Semenok; Su Chen; Di Zhou; Kexin Zhang; Artem R Oganov; Tian Cui

doi:10.1038/s41467-023-38254-6

Enhancement of superconducting properties in the La-Ce-H system at moderate pressures

Nat Commun. 2023 May 9;14(1):2660. doi: 10.1038/s41467-023-38254-6.

Authors

Wuhao Chen¹, Xiaoli Huang², Dmitrii V Semenok³, Su Chen¹, Di Zhou³, Kexin Zhang¹, Artem R Oganov⁴, Tian Cui^{5

6}

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory of Superhard Materials, College of Physics, Jilin University, Changchun, 130012, China.
² State Key Laboratory of Superhard Materials, College of Physics, Jilin University, Changchun, 130012, China. huangxiaoli@jlu.edu.cn.
³ Center for High Pressure Science and Technology Advanced Research (HPSTAR), Beijing, 100094, China.
⁴ Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, Skolkovo Innovation Center, Bolshoy Boulevard 30, bldg. 1, Moscow, 121205, Russia.
⁵ State Key Laboratory of Superhard Materials, College of Physics, Jilin University, Changchun, 130012, China. cuitian@nbu.edu.cn.
⁶ School of Physical Science and Technology, Ningbo University, Ningbo, 315211, China. cuitian@nbu.edu.cn.

Abstract

Ternary hydrides are regarded as an important platform for exploring high-temperature superconductivity at relatively low pressures. Here, we successfully synthesized the hcp-(La,Ce)H_9-10 at 113 GPa with the initial La/Ce ratio close to 3:1. The high-temperature superconductivity was strikingly observed at 176 K and 100 GPa with the extrapolated upper critical field H_c2(0) reaching 235 T. We also studied the binary La-H system for comparison, which exhibited a T_c of 103 K at 78 GPa. The T_c and H_c2(0) of the La-Ce-H are respectively enhanced by over 80 K and 100 T with respect to the binary La-H and Ce-H components. The experimental results and theoretical calculations indicate that the formation of the solid solution contributes not only to enhanced stability but also to superior superconducting properties. These results show how better superconductors can be engineered in the new hydrides by large addition of alloy-forming elements.

Abstract

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