Superconducting ScH3 and LuH3 at Megabar Pressures

Mengyao Shao; Su Chen; Wuhao Chen; Kexin Zhang; Xiaoli Huang; Tian Cui

doi:10.1021/acs.inorgchem.1c01960

Superconducting ScH₃ and LuH₃ at Megabar Pressures

Inorg Chem. 2021 Oct 18;60(20):15330-15335. doi: 10.1021/acs.inorgchem.1c01960. Epub 2021 Sep 30.

Authors

Mengyao Shao¹, Su Chen¹, Wuhao Chen¹, Kexin Zhang, Xiaoli Huang¹, Tian Cui^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory of Superhard Materials, College of Physics, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, China.
² School of Physical Science and Technology, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China.

PMID: 34590849
DOI: 10.1021/acs.inorgchem.1c01960

Abstract

Rare-earth (RE) superhydrides have great potential as high-temperature superconductors, with recent discoveries almost achieving room-temperature superconductivity in compressed LaH₁₀ and YH₉. Here, we continue to study the rare-earth hydrides by focusing on the new hydrides that the lightest element Sc and the heaviest element Lu formed under pressure. Two new superconducting hydrides ScH₃ (T_c ∼ 18.5 K at 131 GPa) and LuH₃ (T_c ∼ 12.4 K at 122 GPa) have been identified both with cubic structure by combining X-ray diffraction and electrical resistance techniques. Among all of the REH₃, only the superconducting properties of ScH₃ and LuH₃ have been experimentally confirmed. Our current results may offer guidance to other REH₃, which were predicted to be superconductors but have not been experimentally confirmed.