Haiyin Zhu | Searcharxiv

arXiv2024

Granular Ta-Te nanowire superconductivity violating the Pauli limit

Strategies to achieve higher upper-critical-field superconductors (μ0Hc2(0)) are of great interest for both fundamental science and practical applications. While reducing the thickness of two-dimensional (2D) materials to a few layers significantly enhances μ0Hc2(0) with accompanied potential unconventional pairing mechanisms, further dimensional reduction to 1D compounds rarely exceeds the expected Pauli limit. Here, we report the discovery of a 1D granular Ta-Te nanowire that becomes superconducting under high pressure, with a maximum critical temperature (Tc) of 5.1 K. Remarkably, the μ0Hc2(0) reaches 16 T, which is twice the Pauli limit, setting a record of μ0Hc2 (0) in all the reported 1D superconductors. Our work demonstrates that the Ta-Te nanowire not only is a potential candidate for applications in high magnetic fields, but also provides an ideal platform for further investigations of the mechanisms between nanowires and large μ0Hc2(0).

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2021

Robust Weyl Semimetal and Pressure-induced Superconductivity in Quasi-One-Dimensional (NbSe4)2I

A search for the single material system that simultaneously exhibits topological phase and intrinsic superconductivity has been largely limited, although such a system is far more favorable especially for the quantum device applications. Except artificially engineered topological superconductivity in heterostructure systems, another alternative is to have superconductivity arising from the topological materials by pressure or other clean technology. Here, based on first-principles calculations, we first show that quasi-one-dimensional compound (NbSe4)2I represents a rare example of a chiral Weyl semimetal in which the set of symmetry-related Weyl points (WPs) exhibit the same chiral charge at a certain energy. The net chiral charge (NCC) of the below Fermi level EF (or a certain energy) can be tuned by pressure. In addition, a partial disorder induced by pressure accompanied with superconductivity emerges. Although amorphization of the iodine sub-lattice under high pressure, the one-dimensional NbSe4 chains in (NbSe4)2I remain intact and provide a superconducting channel in one dimension. Our combined theoretical and experimental research provide critical insight into a new phase of the one-dimensional system, in which distinctive phase transitions and correlated topological states emerge upon compression.

cond-mat.supr-con↗