High T$_c$ superconductivity in superhard diamond-like BC$_{5}$

Abstract

Using density functional theory calculations we show that the recently-synthesized, superhard diamond-like BC$_5$ is superconducting with a critical temperature of the same order than that of MgB$_2$. The average electron-phonon coupling is $λ=0.89$, the phonon-frequency logarithmic-average is $<ω>_{\log}=67.4 $ meV and the isotope coefficients are $α(C)=0.3$ and $α(B)=0.2$. In BC$_5$, superconductivity is mostly sustained by vibrations of the B atom and its C neighbors.