Molecular Hydride Superconductor BiH<sub>4</sub> with <i>T</i><sub>c</sub> up to 91 K at 170 GPa

In pursuit of high-<i>T</i><sub>c</sub> hydride superconductors, the molecular hydrides have attracted less attention because the hydrogen quasimolecules are usually inactive for superconductivity. Here, we report on the successful synthesis of a novel bismuth hydride superconductor <i>C</i>2/<i>c</i>-BiH<sub>4</sub> at pressures around 170-180 GPa. Its structure comprises bismuth atoms and elongated hydrogen molecules with a H-H bond length of 0.81 Å at 170 GPa, characterizing it as a typical molecular hydride. Transport measurements revealed the occurrence of superconductivity with <i>T</i><sub>c</sub> up to 91 K at 170 GPa, as evidenced by a sharp drop of resistivity to zero and a characteristic downward shift of <i>T</i><sub>c</sub> under magnetic fields. Calculations by density functional theory elucidate that both midfrequency H-derived phonons and low-frequency vibrations from Bi atoms are important for the strong electron-phonon coupling in BiH<sub>4</sub>, differentiating it from most high-<i>T</i><sub>c</sub> superconducting hydrides. Our work not only places <i>C</i>2/<i>c</i>-BiH<sub>4</sub> among the molecular hydride superconductors with the highest <i>T</i><sub>c</sub> but also offers new directions for designing and synthesizing more high-<i>T</i><sub>c</sub> hydride superconductors.

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Publication Details

Journal
Journal of the American Chemical Society
Published
2024-12-23
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.4c15137
Citations
15
Primary Topic
Rare-earth and actinide compounds
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
4.66

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article

Molecular Hydride Superconductor BiH4 with Tc up to 91 K at 170 GPa

Bosen Wang, Xin Yang, Haizhong Guo, Zhongxian Zhao et al.
15 citations
Journal of the American Chemical Society
Rare-earth and actinide compounds
4.66
article

Molecular Hydride Superconductor BiH4 with Tc up to 91 K at 170 GPa

Bosen Wang, Xin Yang, Haizhong Guo, Zhongxian Zhao, Huiyang Gou, Yang Ding, Jinguang Cheng, Jianping Sun, Chuanlong Lin, Pengtao Yang, Mei Li, Pengfei Shan, Ziyi Liu, Lili Zhang, Liang Ma, Jun Hou, Sheng Jiang, Lifen Shi
article en
15 citations

Abstract

In pursuit of high-<i>T</i><sub>c</sub> hydride superconductors, the molecular hydrides have attracted less attention because the hydrogen quasimolecules are usually inactive for superconductivity. Here, we report on the successful synthesis of a novel bismuth hydride superconductor <i>C</i>2/<i>c</i>-BiH<sub>4</sub> at pressures around 170-180 GPa. Its structure comprises bismuth atoms and elongated hydrogen molecules with a H-H bond length of 0.81 Å at 170 GPa, characterizing it as a typical molecular hydride. Transport measurements revealed the occurrence of superconductivity with <i>T</i><sub>c</sub> up to 91 K at 170 GPa, as evidenced by a sharp drop of resistivity to zero and a characteristic downward shift of <i>T</i><sub>c</sub> under magnetic fields. Calculations by density functional theory elucidate that both midfrequency H-derived phonons and low-frequency vibrations from Bi atoms are important for the strong electron-phonon coupling in BiH<sub>4</sub>, differentiating it from most high-<i>T</i><sub>c</sub> superconducting hydrides. Our work not only places <i>C</i>2/<i>c</i>-BiH<sub>4</sub> among the molecular hydride superconductors with the highest <i>T</i><sub>c</sub> but also offers new directions for designing and synthesizing more high-<i>T</i><sub>c</sub> hydride superconductors.

Journal of the American Chemical SocietyVol. 147(5)
Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN), Zhengzhou University (CN), Henan Academy of Sciences (CN), Shanghai Advanced Research Institute (CN), FZU ‒ Institute of Physics of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic (CZ), Advanced Research Institute (US), Center for High Pressure Science and Technology Advanced Research (CN), Institute of Physics (CN), University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN), Academia Sinica (TW)
National Natural Science Foundation of China, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China Postdoctoral Science Foundation, Youth Innovation Promotion Association of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, National Key Research and Development Program of China
Openalex Percentile: Top 4%
Rare-earth and actinide compounds
4.66
DOISourceOpenAlex
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