Research on high-entropy-alloy (HEA) superconductors is a growing field in material science. In this study, we explored new HEA-type superconductors and discovered a CuAl2-type superconductor Co0.2Ni0.1Cu0.1Rh0.3Ir0.3Zr2 with a HEA-type transition metal site. A superconducting transition was observed at 8.0 K after electrical resistivity, magnetization, and specific heat measurements. The bulk characteristics of the superconductivity were confirmed through the specific heat measurements. The discovery of superconductivity in HEA-type Co0.2Ni0.1Cu0.1Rh0.3Ir0.3Zr2 will provide a novel pathway to explore new HEA-type superconductors and investigate the relationship between the mixing entropy and superconductivity of HEA-type compounds.
A polycrystalline sample of the high-entropy-alloy-type telluride AgInSnPbBiTe5 was synthesized using high-pressure synthesis. Superconductivity with a transition temperature (Tc) of 2.6 K was observed in AgInSnPbBiTe5. Elemental and structural analyses revealed that five metals are mixed in a metal site of an NaCl-type structure. Since AgInSnPbBiTe5 has a cation site (Ag, In, Sn, Pb, and Bi) and an anion site (Te), this is the first example of a high-entropy-alloy (HEA) pseudo-binary superconductor.
The superconducting high-entropy alloys (HEAs) recently attract considerable attention due to their exciting properties, such as the robustness of superconductivity against atomic disorder and extremely high-pressure. The well-studied crystal structure of superconducting HEAs is body-centered-cubic (bcc) containing Nb, Ti, and Zr atoms. The same elements are contained in Al5Nb24Ti40V5Zr26, which is a recently discovered bcc HEA and shows a gum-metal-like behavior after cold rolling. The gum metal is also an interesting system, exhibiting superelasticity and low Young's modulus. If gum metals s…
Using density-functional-based method, we study the k-resolved sigma- and pi-band holes in Mg_{1-x}Al_{x}B_{2} and Mg(B_{1-y}C_{y})_{2} alloys. We find that the calculated profiles of the loss of sigma- and pi-band holes in these two systems as a function of impurity concentration are in qualitative agreement with experiments, as expected. We also describe its implications vis-a-vis superconductivity in Mg_{1-x}Al_{x}B_{2} and Mg(B_{1-y}C_{y})_{2}.
Based on the first-principles electronic structure calculations and the symmetry analysis, we predict that the topological superconductivity may occur on the surface of the LnPd$_{2}$Sn (Ln=Sc, Y, Lu) class of Heusler alloys. The calculated electronic band structure and topological invariant demonstrate that the LnPd$_{2}$Sn family is topologically nontrivial. The further slab calculations show that the nontrivial topological surface states of LnPd$_{2}$Sn exist within the bulk band gap and meanwhile they cross the Fermi level. Considering that the LnPd$_{2}$Sn class of compounds were all foun…
NbSe$_{2}$ and NbS$_{2}$ are isostructural two-dimensional materials that exhibit contrasting superconducting properties when reduced to the single monolayer limit. Monolayer NbSe$_{2}$ is an Ising superconductor, while there have been no reports of superconductivity in monolayer NbS$_{2}$. NbS$_{x}$Se$_{2-x}$ alloys exhibit an intriguing non-monotonic dependence of the superconducting transition temperature with sulfur content, which has been interpreted as a manifestation of fractal superconductivity. However, several key questions about this result are not known: (1) Does the electronic str…
We synthesized new REO0.5F0.5BiS2 (RE: rare earth) superconductors with the high-entropy-alloy-type (HEA-type) REO blocking layers. According to the RE concentration and the RE ionic radius, the lattice constant of a systematically changed in the HEA-type samples. A sharp superconducting transition was observed in the resistivity measurements for all the HEA-type samples, and the transition temperature of the HEA-type samples was higher than that of typical REO0.5F0.5BiS2. The sharp superconducting transition and the enhanced superconducting properties of the HEA-type samples may indicate the …
The Korringa-Kohn-Rostoker method with the coherent potental approximation (KKR-CPA) is applied to study the first superconducting high entropy alloy (HEA) Ta34Nb33Hf8Zr14Ti11 (discovered in 2014 with Tc = 7.3 K), focusing on estimations of the electron-phonon coupling constant λ. Electronic part of λhas been calculated using the rigid muffin-tin approximation (RMTA), while the phonon part has been approximated using average atomic mass and experimental Debye temperature. The estimated λ= 1.16 is close to the value determined from specific heat measurements, λ= 0.98, and suggests rather strong…
Using the Korringa-Kohn-Rostoker coherent-potential approximation in the atomic-sphere approximation (KKR-ASA CPA) we have studied the changes in the electronic structure and the superconducting transition temperature T_{c} in Nb_{1-x}B_{2} alloys as a function of x. We find that the variation in the electronic structure of Nb_{1-x}B_{2} alloys as a function of x is consistent with the rigid-band model. However, the variation of T_{c}, obtained using the Allen-Dynes equation within the Gaspari-Gyorffy formalism to estimate the electron-phonon matrix elements, does not follow the expected trend…
We present here, the effect of microstructure on the magnetic, electrical and thermal properties of (V$_{0.60}$Ti$_{0.40}$)-Gd alloys. The gadolinium is found to be immiscible and precipitates with a size $<$1.2~$μ$m in the (V$_{0.60}$Ti$_{0.40}$)-Gd alloys. These precipitates enhance the grain boundary density. The (V$_{0.60}$Ti$_{0.40}$)-Gd alloys become ferromagnetic below $T_{mc}$ = 295~K with an increase in the superconducting transition temperature ($T_{sc}$). Though the disorder increases with increasing Gd content, the electronic thermal conductivity ($κ_{e} (H = 0)$) reduces by at mos…
A recent experiment reported that robust superconductivity appears in NbTi alloys under ultrahigh pressures with an almost constant superconducting $T_c$ of ~19 K from 120 to 261.7 GPa [J. Guo et al., Adv. Mater. 31, 1807240 (2019)], which is very rare among the known superconductors. We investigate the origin of this novel superconducting behavior in NbTi alloys based on density functional theory and density functional perturbation theory calculations. Our results indicate that the pressure tends to transform NbTi alloys from a random phase to a uniformly ordered crystal phase, and the exotic…
We report the synthesis of new equimolar high-entropy alloys (HEAs) formed from five or six 4d/5d transition metals that are each from a different Group of the Periodic Table. These include MoReRuRhPt and MoReRuIrPt, which have a valence electron count (VEC) of 8 and crystallise in the hexagonal close-packed (hcp) structure, making them isoelectronic and isostructural to the elements Ru and Os and the high-pressure phase of the well-known HEA CrMnFeCoNi. Analogous HEAs with VECs of 7, 6 and 5 crystallise with multiple phases, which we rationalise using the atomic size difference, $δ$, and the …
We report here the structural, electrical and magnetic properties of as-cast V$_{1-x}$Zr$_x$ alloys ($x$ =0 - 0.4) at low temperatures. We observe that all the alloys undergo successive peritectic and eutectic reactions during cooling from the melt which leads to the formation of five phases, namely, a body centred cubic $β$-V phase, two phases with slightly different compositions having face centred cubic ZrV$_2$ structure, a hexagonal closed packed $α$-Zr phase, and the $β$-Zr precipitates. The amount of each phase is found to be dependent on the concentration of zirconium in vanadium. The $…
High-entropy-alloy-type (HEA-type) compound superconductors have been drawing much attention as a new class of exotic superconductors with local structural inhomogeneity. NaCl-type (Ag,In,Sn,Pb,Bi)Te is a typical HEA-type superconductor, but the carrier doping mechanism had been unclear. In this study, we synthesized (Ag,In,Sn,Pb,Bi)Te with various In concentration using high-pressure synthesis: the studied system is (AgSnPbBi)(1-x)/4InxTe (x = 0-0.4). Single-phase samples were obtained for x = 0-0.3. A semiconductor-like temperature dependence of resistivity was observed for x = 0, while supe…
Shear ruptures of Cu samples soldered with Sn96Ag4 and Sn60Pb40 alloys have been measured at 300 K and 77 K. An average degradation of about 37 % of the shear rupture strength has been observed at cold for samples soldered with the lead-free alloy. This effect can be attributed to the tin pest.
We give a brief review of superconductivity at ambient pressure in elements, alloys, and simple three-dimensional compounds. Historically these were the first superconducting materials studied, and based on the experimental knowledge gained from them the BCS theory of superconductivity was developed in 1957. Extended to include the effect of phonon retardation, the theory is believed to describe the subset of superconducting materials known as `conventional superconductors', where superconductivity is caused by the electron-phonon interaction. These include the elements, alloys and simple comp…
The results of an extensive investigation of structure, surface morphology, composition and the superconducting-normal phase diagram of a new unconventional superconductor LaAg1-cMnc with nominal composition c = 0.0, 0.025, 0.05, 0.1, 0.2 and 0.3, reveal the following. The alloys with c = 0, 0.025 and 0.05 are essentially single phase alloys with the actual Mn concentration, x, same as the nominal one, i.e., c = x, whereas in the alloys with c = 0.1, 0.2 and 0.3, the actual Mn concentration of the majority phase (crystalline grains) is x = 0.050(1), 0.080(1) and 0.100(1), respectively. The ter…
A series of new Cr$_{5+x}$Mo$_{35-x}$W$_{12}$Re$_{35}$Ru$_{13}$C$_{20}$ high-entropy alloys (HEAs) have been synthesized and characterized by x-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, electrical resistivity, magnetic susceptibility and specific heat measurements. It is found that the HEAs adopt a noncentrosymmetric cubic $β$-Mn type structure and exhibit bulk superconductivity for 0 $\leq$ $x$ $\leq$ 9. With increasing $x$, the cubic lattice parameter decreases from 6.7940(3) Å to 6.7516(3) Å. Meanwhile, the superconducting transition temperature $T_{\rm c}$ is suppressed from 5.49 K to…
Local distortions of the crystal structure and their influence on the electronic structure and superconductivity of the high-entropy alloy (TaNb)0.67(HfZrTi)0.33
High-entropy alloys are made from random mixtures of principal elements on simple lattices, stabilized by a high mixing entropy. The recently discovered BCC Ta-Nb-Hf-Zr-Ti high entropy alloy superconductor appears to display properties of both simple crystalline intermetallics and amorphous materials, e.g. it has a well defined superconducting transition along with an exceptional robustness against disorder. Here we show that the valence-electron count dependence of the superconducting transition temperature in the high entropy alloy falls between those of analogous simple solid solutions and …
High-entropy-alloy (HEA) superconductors are a new class of disordered superconductors. In this study, we investigate the robustness of superconducting states in HEA-type metal telluride (MTe; M = Ag, In, Sn, Pb, Bi) under high pressure. PbTe exhibits a structural transition from a NaCl-type to an orthorhombic Pnma structure at low pressures, and further transitions to a CsCl-type structure at high pressures. When the superconductivity of the CsCl-type PbTe is observed, it is found that its superconducting transition temperature (Tc) decreases with pressure. However, in the HEA-type AgInSnPbBi…
Effects of pressure on the electronic structure, electron-phonon interaction, and superconductivity of the high entropy alloy (TaNb)$_{0.67}$(HfZrTi)$_{0.33}$ are studied in the pressure range 0 - 100 GPa. The electronic structure is calculated using the Korringa-Kohn-Rostoker method with the coherent potential approximation. Effects of pressure on the lattice dynamics are simulated using the Debye-Grüneisen model and the Grüneisen parameter at ambient conditions. In addition, the Debye temperature and Sommerfeld electronic heat capacity coefficient were experimentally determined. The electron…
Proximity effect facilitates the penetration of Cooper pairs that permits superconductivity in normal metal, offerring a promising approach to turn heterogeneous materials into superconducting and develop exceptional quantum phenomena. Here, we have systematically investigated proximity-induced anisotropic superconductivity in monolayer Ni-Pb binary alloy by combining scanning tunneling microscopy/ spectroscopy(STM/STS) with theoretical calculations. By means of high temperature growth, the(3root3by3root3)R30o Ni-Pb surface alloy has been fabricated on the Pb(111), where the appearance of doma…
Here we report the observation of extraordinary superconductivity in a pressurized commercial niobium-titanium alloy. We find that its zero-resistance superconductivity persists from ambient pressure to the pressure as high as 261.7 GPa, a record high pressure up to which a known superconducting state can continuously survives. Remarkably, at such an ultra-high pressure, although the ambient pressure volume is shrunk by 45% without structural phase transition, the superconducting transition temperature (TC) increases to ~19.1 K from ~9.6 K, and the critical magnetic field (HC2) at 1.8 K has be…
We have synthesized high-entropy-alloy-type (HEA-type) RE123 superconductors Y0.28Nd0.16Sm0.18Eu0.18Gd0.20Ba2Cu3O7-d and Y0.18La0.24Nd0.14Sm0.14Eu0.15Gd0.15Ba2Cu3O7-d with a superconducting transition temperature (Tc) exceeding 90 K. From comparison between HEA-type and conventional RE123 samples, we found that the mixing entropy at the rare earth site does not affect Tc and critical current density (Jc) of the RE123 samples. For all the examined samples, orthorhombicity was found to be an essential parameter for Tc and Jc. In the regime near orthorhombic-tetragonal boundary, Jc for the HEA-ty…
We present a detailed study of the superconducting properties in the beta-phase Mo$_{1-x}$Re$_x$ (x = 0.25 and 0.4) solid solution alloys pursued through magnetization and heat capacity measurements. The temperature dependence of the upper critical field H$_{C2}$(T) in these binary alloys shows a deviation from the prediction of the Werthamer-Helfand-Hohenberg (WHH) theory. The temperature dependence of superfluid density estimated from the variation of lower critical field H$_{C1}$ with temperature, cannot be explained within the framework of a single superconducting energy gap. The heat capa…
In a short review-article we first discuss the results, which are mainly devoted to the generalizations of the famous Kohn-Luttinger mechanism of superconductivity in purely repulsive fermion systems at low electron densities. In the context of repulsive-U Hubbard model and Shubin-Vonsovsky model we consider briefly the superconducting phase diagrams and the symmetries of the order parameter in novel strongly correlated electron systems including idealized monolayer and bilayer graphene. We stress that purely repulsive fermion systems are mainly the subject of unconventional low-temperature su…
We investigated the effect of alloying on the upper critical field $H_{c2}$ in 12 $MgB_2$ films, in which disorder was introduced by growth, carbon doping or He-ion irradiation, finding a significant $H_{c2}$ enhancement in C-alloyed films, and an anomalous upward curvature of $H_{c2}(T)$. Record high values of $H_{c2}^{\perp}(4.2) \simeq 35T$ and $H_{c2}\|(4.2) \simeq 51T$ were observed perpendicular and parallel to the ab plane, respectively. The temperature dependence of $H_{c2}(T)$ is described well by a theory of dirty two-gap superconductivity. Extrapolation of the experimental data to T…
In general, conventional superconductivity and magnetism are competing phenomena. In some alloys this competition is a function of the concentration of the elements. Here we show that in the palladium alloys Pd$_{1-c}$(H/D/T)$_{c}$ (Pd-ides) the increase in the concentration $c$ of the ides: hydrogen, deuterium, tritium (H/D/T), lowers the predicted magnetism of amorphous palladium ($a$-Pd) gradually, allowing superconductivity to appear for $ c \approx 40\%$. This magnetism explains why superconductivity does not manifest for smaller values of $c$ ($c \leq 40\%$) in these Pd alloys. Also, the…
A high-entropy-alloy-type (HEA-type) superconductor is new category of highly disordered superconductors. Therefore, finding brand-new superconducting characteristics in the HEA-type superconductors would open new avenue to investigate the relationship between structural disorder and superconductivity. Here, we report on the remarkable broadening of specific heat jump near a superconducting transition tempreature (Tc) in transition-metal zirconides (TrZr2) with different mixing entropy (ΔSmix) at the Tr site. With increasing ΔSmix, the superconducting transition seen in specific heat became br…
By using mostly the muon-spin rotation/relaxation ($μ$SR) technique, we investigate the superconductivity (SC) of Nb$_5$Ir$_{3-x}$Pt$_x$O ($x = 0$ and 1.6) alloys, with $T_c = 10.5$ K and 9.1 K, respectively. At a macroscopic level, their superconductivity was studied by electrical resistivity, magnetization, and specific-heat measurements. In both compounds, the electronic specific heat and the low-temperature superfluid density data suggest a nodeless SC. The superconducting gap value and the specific heat discontinuity at $T_c$ are larger than that expected from the Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffe…
We report on the synthesis and superconductivity of high-entropy-alloy-type (HEA-type) compounds TrZr2 (Tr = Fe, Co, Ni, Rh, Ir), in which the Tr site satisfies the criterion of HEA. Polycrystalline samples of HEA-type TrZr2 with four different compositions at the Tr site were synthesized by arc melting method. The phase purity and crystal structure were examined by Rietveld refinement of X-ray diffraction profile. It has been confirmed that the obtained samples have a CuAl2-type tetragonal structure. From analyses of elemental composition and mixing entropy at the Tr site, the HEA state for t…
We report the superconducting properties of new hexagonal Nb$_{10+2x}$Mo$_{35-x}$Ru$_{35-x}$Rh$_{10}$Pd$_{10}$ high-entropy alloys (HEAs) (0 $\leq$ $x$ $\leq$ 5). With increasing $x$, the superconducting transition temperature $T_{\rm c}$ shows a maximum of 6.19 K at $x$ = 2.5, while the zero-temperature upper critical field $B_{\rm c2}$(0) increases monotonically, reaching 8.3 T at $x$ = 5. For all $x$ values, the specific heat jump deviates from the Bardeen-Cooper-Schreiffer behavior. In addition, we show that $T_{\rm c}$ of these HEAs is not determined mainly by the density of states at the…
We have studied the electronic structure of 3d transition-metal- MgB_{2} alloys, Mg_{0.97}TM_{0.03}B_{2}, (TM\equiv Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn) using KKR-CPA method in the atomic-sphere approximation. For unpolarized calculations, our results for Mg_{0.97}TM_{0.03}B_{2} alloys are similar to that of 3d impurities in other s and s-p metals. In particular, the local densities of states (DOS) associated with the 3d impurities are similar to our earlier work on 3d impurities in bulk Al. For spin-polarized calculations, we find only the alloys of V, Cr, Mn, Fe and Co with MgB_{2} to be m…
We have studied the electron-phonon and superconducting properties of the Mg{1-x}AlxB2 and MgB{2(1-y)}C{2y} alloys within the framework of density functional theory using the self-consistent virtual-crystal approximation. For both alloys, the Eliashberg spectral functions and the electron-phonon coupling constants have been calculated in the two-band model for several concentrations up to x(Al)=0.55 and y(C)=0.175. We solved numerically the two-band Eliashberg gap equations without considering interband scattering. Using a single parameter for the Coulomb pseudopotential, which was determined …
Magnesium diboride crystals were grown with low melting alloy flux. The sample with superconductivity at 38.3 K was prepared in the zinc-magnesium flux and another sample with superconductivity at 34.11 K was prepared in the cadmium-magnesium flux. MgB4 was found in both samples, and MgB4's magnetization curve being above zero line had not superconductivity. Magnesium diboride prepared by these two methods is all flaky and irregular shape and low quality of single crystal. However, these two metals should be the optional flux for magnesium diboride crystal growth. The study of single crystal g…
In this work we explore the chemical-property phase diagram of the AV$_3$Sb$_5$ family through A-site alloying. We demonstrate full miscibility of the alkali-site, highlighting that the three parent compounds are the terminal ends of a single solid-solution. Using both polycrystalline and single crystal methods, we map the dependence of the two primary electronic instabilities: (1) the onset of charge density wave (CDW) order ($T_\text{CDW}$) and (2) the onset of superconductivity ($T_\text{c}$) with alkali-site composition. We show continuous trends in both $T_\text{CDW}$ and $T_\text{c}$, in…
Herein, we report the synthesis and detailed superconducting properties of a new high entropy alloy superconductor with nominal composition Nb$_{20}$Re$_{20}$Zr$_{20}$Hf$_{20}$Ti$_{20}$ using powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), magnetization, transport, and thermodynamic measurements. The room temperature powder XRD confirms that the alloy is arranged on a simple body centered cubic crystal lattice with lattice parameter a = 3.38 (1) $\textÅ$. EDX measurement yields an average composition of Nb$_{21}$Re$_{16}$Zr$_{20}$Hf$_{23}$Ti$_{20}$ (in atomic $\%$).…
A model of alloy is considered which includes both quenched disorder in the electron subsystem (``alloy'' subsystem) and electron-phonon interaction. For given approximate solution for the alloy part of the problem, which is assumed to be conserving in Baym's sense, we construct the generating functional and derive the Eliashberg-type equations which are valid to the lowest order in the adiabatic parameter.The renormalization of bare electron-phonon interaction vertices by disorder is taken into account consistently with the approximation for the alloy self-energy. For the case of exact config…
We studied the Fulde-Ferrell-Larkin-Ovchinnikov (FFLO) like state establishing due to the proximity effect in superconducting Nb/Cu41Ni59 bilayers. Using a special wedge-type deposition technique, series of 20-35 samples could be fabricated by magnetron sputtering during one run. The layer thickness of only a few nanometers, the composition of the alloy, and the quality of interfaces were controlled by Rutherford backscattering spectrometry, high resolution transmission electron microscopy, and Auger spectroscopy. The magnetic properties of the ferromagnetic alloy layer were characterized with…
Niobium-zirconium (Nb-Zr) alloy is an old superconductor that is a promising new candidate for superconducting radio-frequency (SRF) cavity applications. Using density-functional and Eliashberg theories, we show that addition of Zr to a Nb surface in small concentrations increases the critical temperature $T_c$ and improves other superconducting properties. Furthermore, we calculate $T_c$ for Nb-Zr alloys across a broad range of Zr concentrations, showing good agreement with the literature for disordered alloys as well as the potential for significantly higher $T_c$ in ordered alloys near 75%N…
High Critical Temperature and Field Superconductivity in Nb$_{0.85}$X$_{0.15}$, (X = Ti, Zr, Hf) Alloys: Promising Candidates for Superconducting Devices
Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Bhopal（印度科学教育研究所博帕尔分校）
The Pr-rich end of the alloy series Pr$_{1-x}$Nd$_x$Os$_4$Sb$_{12}$ has been studied using muon spin rotation and relaxation. The end compound PrOs$_4$Sb$_{12}$ is an unconventional heavy-fermion superconductor, which exhibits a spontaneous magnetic field in the superconducting phase associated with broken time-reversal symmetry. No spontaneous field is observed in the Nd-doped alloys for x $>$ 0.05. The superfluid density is insensitive to Nd concentration, and no Nd$^{3+}$ static magnetism is found down to the lowest temperatures of measurement. Together with the slow suppression of the supe…
