journal article·2025

Ductile copper hydride Eliashberg superconductors with T c in the liquid-nitrogen temperature range and band topology at ambient pressure

Chong Tian, Yao-hui Zhu, Juan Du, Hong-xia Zhong, Jing Lu, Xinqiang Wang, Jun-jie Shi

Materials Horizons· Volume 12· Issue 13
Publisher page

Abstract

The engineering demands for superconductors require not only a high transition temperature (Tc) but also eco-friendliness, mechanical workability, and abundance. Currently, superconductors exhibiting both mechanical ductility and Tc above the liquid-nitrogen temperature are still lacking. Considering that copper is one of the most important conductive materials for power transmission, we investigate the synthetic routes, band topology, electron-phonon coupling (EPC) and anharmonic superconductivity of copper hydrides using first-principles calculations. Cubic-Cu4H3 remains stable at ambient pressure after kinetic simulations from its experimentally synthesized pressure state. The incorporation of hydrogen impacts the ductility of Cu4H3 negligibly compared to copper, while enabling high-Tc superconductivity up to 77 K and non-trivial band topology at ambient pressure. The novel properties arise from the strong EPC, Fermi surface nesting and hydrogen-induced band inversion. This discovery may fill the gap in the lack of ductile superconductors in the liquid-nitrogen temperature range and pave a new way for realizing high-temperature topological superconductivity at atmospheric pressure.
Source: europepmc · Quality: candidate unverified · Source record ↗

Research context

OpenAlex topics: Hydrogen Storage and Materials · Ammonia Synthesis and Nitrogen Reduction · Superconducting Materials and Applications

SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.

Affiliations

State Key Laboratory for Artificial Microstructures and Mesoscopic Physics, School of Physics, Peking University Yangtze Delta Institute of Optoelectronics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China

Physics Department, Beijing Technology and Business University, Beijing 100048, China

Department of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering Faculty of Science, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China

School of Mathematics and Physics, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China

Funding

National Key Research and Development Program of China · National Natural Science Foundation of China

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