Superconductivity in S-rich phases of lanthanum sulfide under high pressure

Gao K, Cui W, Wang Q, Hao J, Shi J, Botti S, Marques MAL, Li Y (2022)

Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2022

Journal

Physical Review Materials American Physical Society

Book Volume: 6

Article Number: 064801

Journal Issue: 6

DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevMaterials.6.064801

Abstract

Pressure, a fundamental thermodynamic variable, enables phase transitions to exotic phases with unique physical properties, such as superconductivity. In this work we perform a complete study of crystal structures and relevant electronic properties of La-S crystalline systems in a pressure range of 0-200 GPa. A structural search based on first-principles swarm-intelligence identifies two hitherto unknown pressure-stabilized stoichiometries, namely, LaS3 and LaS5, in addition to the previously reported compounds. We find that the S-S bonding patterns in La-S compounds evolve in the following sequence with increasing S content and pressure: Atomic S, S2 dimers, one-dimensional linear S chains, and two-dimensional S ladders. Further electron-phonon calculations show that both LaS3 and LaS5 are superconductors with critical temperatures of 13.6 K at 100 GPa and 11 K at 120 GPa, respectively. The softened acoustic phonon branches are responsible for their superconductivity. Our current work is expected to guide future experimental studies investigating superconductivity and structural features of La-S system and more, in general, of other rare-earth chalcogenides.

Involved external institutions

Jiangsu Normal University / 江苏师范大学 CN China (CN) Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) DE Germany (DE) Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena DE Germany (DE)

How to cite

APA:

Gao, K., Cui, W., Wang, Q., Hao, J., Shi, J., Botti, S.,... Li, Y. (2022). Superconductivity in S-rich phases of lanthanum sulfide under high pressure. Physical Review Materials, 6(6). https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevMaterials.6.064801

MLA:

Gao, Kun, et al. "Superconductivity in S-rich phases of lanthanum sulfide under high pressure." Physical Review Materials 6.6 (2022).

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