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Strong-coupling superconductivity with Tc ∼ 10.8 K induced by P doping in the topological semimetal Mo5Si3

拓扑半金属Mo5Si3中磷掺杂诱导Tc ∼ 10.8 K的强耦合超导电性

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Abstract

By performing P doping on the Si sites in the topological semimetal Mo5Si3, we discover strong-coupling superconductivity in Mo5Si3−xPx (0.5 ≤ x ≤ 2.0). Mo5Si3 crystallizes in the W5Si3-type structure with space group of I4/mcm (No. 140), and is not a superconductor itself. Upon P doping, the lattice parameter a decreases while c increases monotonously. Bulk superconductivity is revealed in Mo5Si3−xPx (0.5 ≤ x ≤ 2.0) from resistivity, magnetization, and heat capacity measurements. Tc in Mo5Si1.5P1.5 reaches as high as 10.8 K, setting a new record among the W5Si3-type superconductors. The upper and lower critical fields for Mo5Si1.5P1.5 are 14.56 T and 105 mT, respectively. Moreover, Mo5Si1.5P1.5 is found to be a fully gapped superconductor with strong electron-phonon coupling. First-principles calculations suggest that the enhancement of electron-phonon coupling is possibly due to the shift of the Fermi level, which is induced by electron doping. The calculations also reveal the nontrivial band topology in Mo5Si3. The Tc and upper critical field in Mo5Si3−xPx are fairly high among pseudobinary compounds. Both of them are higher than those in NbTi, making future applications promising. Our results suggest that the W5Si3-type compounds are ideal platforms to search for new superconductors. By examinations of their band topologies, more candidates for topological superconductors can be expected in this structural family.

摘要

通过对拓扑半金属Mo5Si3的硅位进行磷掺杂, 我们发现了Mo5Si3−xPx (0.5 ≤ x ≤ 2.0)中强耦合的超导电性. W5Si3结构的Mo5Si3本身并不具有超导性, 随着磷掺杂的增加, 其晶格常数a单调减小, 而c单调增加. 在Mo5Si3−xPx (0.5 ≤ x ≤ 2.0)中, 电阻、 磁化率和比热测量揭示了其中的体超导特性. Mo5Si1.5P1.5的超导转变温度(Tc)高达10.8 K, 创造了W5Si3结构超导体的Tc纪录, 其上下临界场分别为14.56 T和105 mT, 且是一个具有强电子-声子耦合的全能隙超导体. 第一性原理计算表明, 强的电子-声子耦合可能来自于掺磷所引起的费米面的移动, 同时也揭示了Mo5Si3非平庸的能带拓扑性质. Mo5Si3−xPx超导体的Tc和上临界场在准二元化合物中相当高, 超过了NbTi超导体, 具有潜在的应用价值. 本文的结果表明W5Si3型结构中可能存在更多的新型超导体, 对该体系的研究将有助于拓扑超导体的发现.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2018YFA0704200, 2021YFA1401800, 2018YFA0305602, and 2017YFA0302904), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (12074414, 12074002, and 11774402), and the Strategic Priority Research Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences (XDB25000000).

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Author notes

  1. These authors contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Physics and Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, China

    Bin-Bin Ruan  (阮彬彬), Jun-Nan Sun  (孙俊男), Yin Chen  (陈银), Qing-Song Yang  (杨清松), Kang Zhao  (赵康), Meng-Hu Zhou  (周孟虎), Ya-Dong Gu  (谷亚东), Ming-Wei Ma  (马明伟), Gen-Fu Chen  (陈根富) & Zhi-An Ren  (任治安)

  2. Information Materials and Intelligent Sensing Laboratory of Anhui Province, Institutes of Physical Science and Information Technology, Anhui University, Hefei, 230601, China

    Jun-Nan Sun  (孙俊男) & Lei Shan  (单磊)

  3. Key Laboratory of Structure and Functional Regulation of Hybrid Materials (Anhui University), Ministry of Education, Hefei, 230601, China

    Jun-Nan Sun  (孙俊男) & Lei Shan  (单磊)

  4. School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing, 100083, China

    Yin Chen  (陈银)

  5. School of Physical Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China

    Qing-Song Yang  (杨清松), Ya-Dong Gu  (谷亚东), Gen-Fu Chen  (陈根富) & Zhi-An Ren  (任治安)

  6. Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, 266237, China

    Kang Zhao  (赵康)

  7. Songshan Lake Materials Laboratory, Dongguan, 523808, China

    Ming-Wei Ma  (马明伟) & Gen-Fu Chen  (陈根富)

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  1. Bin-Bin Ruan  (阮彬彬)
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  11. Zhi-An Ren  (任治安)
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Contributions

Sun JN conceived the project. Ruan BB and Sun JN synthesized the samples and did most of the measurements; Chen Y, Gu YD and Yang QS assisted in some of the measurements; Ruan BB carried out the theoretical calculations and wrote the paper with supports from Zhou MH, Ma MW and Zhao K; Chen GF, Shan L and Ren ZA reviewed the original manuscript; Ren ZA supervised the project. All authors contributed to the general discussion.

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Bin-Bin Ruan  (阮彬彬), Lei Shan  (单磊) or Zhi-An Ren  (任治安).

Additional information

Supplementary information Comparison of VCA and supercell results, SEM image and elemental mapping of Mo5Si1.5P1.5, the relaxed lattice parameters from DFT compared with the experimental ones, and the subtraction of Mo3P contribution from the raw data Supporting data are available in the online version of the paper.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Bin-Bin Ruan received his PhD degree in 2018, and is currently a post-doctoral researcher at the Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (IOPCAS) He received his bachelor degree from the University of Science and Technology of China in 2011 His research interests include the exploration, characterization, and calculation of novel superconductors based on the IVB–VIB elements.

Jun-Nan Sun is a master student of physics at Anhui University under the supervision of Prof. Zhi-An Ren and Prof. Lei Shan. His research work focuses on the exploration and research of superconducting materials containing light elements.

Lei Shan is a professor at the Institutes of Physical Science and Information Technology, Anhui University. He received his BS/PhD degrees from the Department of Physics, Nanjing University in 1996/2001. He was a researcher at the IOPCAS from 2013 to 2018. His research focuses on the mechanisms of novel superconductors and related quantum materials, scanning tunneling microscopy, and point contact Andreev spectroscopy.

Zhi-An Ren obtained his PhD degree in physics from the IOPCAS in 2004. He was an associate professor from 2007 and has been a professor at the IOPCAS since 2011. He is a group leader of IOPCAS on studies and explorations of novel high-Tc superconducting materials, physics, and applications.

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Ruan, BB., Sun, JN., Chen, Y. et al. Strong-coupling superconductivity with Tc ∼ 10.8 K induced by P doping in the topological semimetal Mo5Si3. Sci. China Mater. 65, 3125–3133 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40843-022-2102-8

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