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Title: Pressure-induced superconductivity in a three-dimensional topological material ZrTe5

Abstract

As a new type of topological materials, ZrTe5 shows many exotic properties under extreme conditions. By using resistance and ac magnetic susceptibility measurements under high pressure, while the resistance anomaly near 128 K is completely suppressed at 6.2 GPa, a fully superconducting transition emerges. The superconducting transition temperature Tc increases with applied pressure, and reaches a maximum of 4.0 K at 14.6 GPa, followed by a slight drop but remaining almost constant value up to 68.5 GPa. At pressures above 21.2 GPa, a second superconducting phase with the maximum Tc of about 6.0 K appears and coexists with the original one to the maximum pressure studied in this work. In situ high-pressure synchrotron X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy combined with theoretical calculations indicate the observed two-stage superconducting behavior is correlated to the structural phase transition from ambient Cmcm phase to high-pressure C2/m phase around 6 GPa, and to a mixture of two high-pressure phases of C2/m and P-1 above 20 GPa. The combination of structure, transport measurement, and theoretical calculations enable a complete understanding of the emerging exotic properties in 3D topological materials under extreme environments.

Authors:
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [4];  [2];  [1];  [3];  [5];  [5];  [3];  [2];  [6];  [7];  [8];  [7];  [9];  [10];  [11];  [12]
  1. Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Hefei (China). High Magnetic Field Lab. (HMFL), Key Lab. of Materials Physics and Inst. of Solid State Physics
  2. Nanjing Univ. (China). National Lab. of Solid State Microstructures and School of Physics
  3. Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Hefei (China). High Magnetic Field Lab. (HMFL)
  4. Center for High Pressure Science and Technology Advanced Research (HPSTAR), Shanghai (China)
  5. Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Hefei (China). Key Lab. of Materials Physics and Inst. of Solid State Physics
  6. Carnegie Inst. of Washington, Argonne, IL (United States). Geophysical Lab., High Pressure Synergetic Consortium (HPSync)
  7. Nanjing Univ. (China). Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, National Lab. of Solid State Microstructures and School of Physics
  8. Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Hefei (China). High Magnetic Field Lab. (HMFL), Key Lab. of Materials Physics and Inst. of Solid State Physics; Nanjing Univ. (China). Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures
  9. Center for High Pressure Science and Technology Advanced Research (HPSTAR), Shanghai (China); Carnegie Inst. of Washington, Argonne, IL (United States). Geophysical Lab., High Pressure Synergetic Consortium (HPSync)
  10. Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Hefei (China). High Magnetic Field Lab. (HMFL) and Hefei Science Center; Nanjing Univ. (China). Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures
  11. Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Hefei (China). High Magnetic Field Lab. (HMFL); Nanjing Univ. (China). Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures
  12. Center for High Pressure Science and Technology Advanced Research (HPSTAR), Shanghai (China); Carnegie Inst. of Washington, Washington, DC (United States). Geophysical Lab.
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Carnegie Inst. of Science, Argonne, IL (United States); Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES); USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA); National Basic Research Program of China; National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC); National Science Foundation (NSF)
OSTI Identifier:
1469309
Grant/Contract Number:  
FG02-99ER45775; 2011CBA00111; 2015CB921202; U1530402; U1332139; U1332143; U1432251; 11574323; 11204312; 11374137; 11374302; 51372112; 11525417; 11574133; BK20150012; NA0001974; AC02-06CH11357
Resource Type:
Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 113; Journal Issue: 11; Journal ID: ISSN 0027-8424
Publisher:
National Academy of Sciences, Washington, DC (United States)
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE; 75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY; high pressure; Dirac semimetals; superconductivity; synchrotron X-ray diffraction

Citation Formats

Zhou, Yonghui, Wu, Juefei, Ning, Wei, Li, Nana, Du, Yongping, Chen, Xuliang, Zhang, Ranran, Chi, Zhenhua, Wang, Xuefei, Zhu, Xiangde, Lu, Pengchao, Ji, Cheng, Wan, Xiangang, Yang, Zhaorong, Sun, Jian, Yang, Wenge, Tian, Mingliang, Zhang, Yuheng, and Mao, Ho-kwang. Pressure-induced superconductivity in a three-dimensional topological material ZrTe5. United States: N. p., 2016. Web. doi:10.1073/pnas.1601262113.
Zhou, Yonghui, Wu, Juefei, Ning, Wei, Li, Nana, Du, Yongping, Chen, Xuliang, Zhang, Ranran, Chi, Zhenhua, Wang, Xuefei, Zhu, Xiangde, Lu, Pengchao, Ji, Cheng, Wan, Xiangang, Yang, Zhaorong, Sun, Jian, Yang, Wenge, Tian, Mingliang, Zhang, Yuheng, & Mao, Ho-kwang. Pressure-induced superconductivity in a three-dimensional topological material ZrTe5. United States. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1601262113
Zhou, Yonghui, Wu, Juefei, Ning, Wei, Li, Nana, Du, Yongping, Chen, Xuliang, Zhang, Ranran, Chi, Zhenhua, Wang, Xuefei, Zhu, Xiangde, Lu, Pengchao, Ji, Cheng, Wan, Xiangang, Yang, Zhaorong, Sun, Jian, Yang, Wenge, Tian, Mingliang, Zhang, Yuheng, and Mao, Ho-kwang. Mon . "Pressure-induced superconductivity in a three-dimensional topological material ZrTe5". United States. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1601262113. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1469309.
@article{osti_1469309,
title = {Pressure-induced superconductivity in a three-dimensional topological material ZrTe5},
author = {Zhou, Yonghui and Wu, Juefei and Ning, Wei and Li, Nana and Du, Yongping and Chen, Xuliang and Zhang, Ranran and Chi, Zhenhua and Wang, Xuefei and Zhu, Xiangde and Lu, Pengchao and Ji, Cheng and Wan, Xiangang and Yang, Zhaorong and Sun, Jian and Yang, Wenge and Tian, Mingliang and Zhang, Yuheng and Mao, Ho-kwang},
abstractNote = {As a new type of topological materials, ZrTe5 shows many exotic properties under extreme conditions. By using resistance and ac magnetic susceptibility measurements under high pressure, while the resistance anomaly near 128 K is completely suppressed at 6.2 GPa, a fully superconducting transition emerges. The superconducting transition temperature Tc increases with applied pressure, and reaches a maximum of 4.0 K at 14.6 GPa, followed by a slight drop but remaining almost constant value up to 68.5 GPa. At pressures above 21.2 GPa, a second superconducting phase with the maximum Tc of about 6.0 K appears and coexists with the original one to the maximum pressure studied in this work. In situ high-pressure synchrotron X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy combined with theoretical calculations indicate the observed two-stage superconducting behavior is correlated to the structural phase transition from ambient Cmcm phase to high-pressure C2/m phase around 6 GPa, and to a mixture of two high-pressure phases of C2/m and P-1 above 20 GPa. The combination of structure, transport measurement, and theoretical calculations enable a complete understanding of the emerging exotic properties in 3D topological materials under extreme environments.},
doi = {10.1073/pnas.1601262113},
journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America},
number = 11,
volume = 113,
place = {United States},
year = {Mon Feb 29 00:00:00 EST 2016},
month = {Mon Feb 29 00:00:00 EST 2016}
}

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