Pressure-driven amorphous superconductivity in the topological semimetal <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:mrow> <mml:msub> <mml:mi mathvariant="normal">VP</mml:mi> <mml:mn>4</mml:mn> </mml:msub> </mml:mrow> </mml:math>
Engineering superconductivity in pressurized topological materials is widely recognized as a promising pathway for achieving topological superconductivity. Herein, we report the pressure-tuned evolution of the structural and electronic properties of the topological semimetal ${\mathrm{VP}}_{4}$. Our results demonstrate that the crystal structure remains stable up to approximately 47.2 GPa, beyond which an irreversible transition to an amorphous phase takes place. Notably, the onset of amorphization is accompanied by a concurrent transition in carrier-type from holes to electrons, coupled with the emergence of superconductivity. This phenomenon provides direct evidence for pressure-induced amorphous superconductivity. With further compression, the superconducting transition temperature ${T}_{\mathrm{c}}$ increases monotonically, reaching a maximum of $\ensuremath{\sim}4.9$ K under a pressure of around 76.5 GPa. Additionally, density functional theory calculations reveal that the topologically nontrivial state persists under pressure, retaining strong topological characteristics throughout the crystalline phase. Our findings establish ${\mathrm{VP}}_{4}$ as a distinctive platform for investigating the interplay among amorphous, superconductivity, and topology.
Authors
- Chutong Zhang
- Bowen Zheng (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7252-962X)
- Xin Chen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0652-0798)
- Nianming Zuo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6726-4575)
- Haoran Yu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7480-9326)
- Xiangzhuo Xing (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2147-8949)
- Yan Meng (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5445-0347)
- Xiaobing Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5815-5932)
- Bin Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6392-4185)
- Xiaoran Zhang
- Bingchao Yang
- Yalei Huang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5722-7623)
- Xiaofeng Xu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3893-1148)
- Xiaolei Yi
Institutions
- Xinyang Normal University (CN)
- Qufu Normal University (CN)
- Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications (CN)
- Jining University (CN)
- Zhejiang University of Technology (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Physical review. B./Physical review. B
- Published
- 2025-11-10
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1103/rc5t-65bw
- Primary Topic
- Topological Materials and Phenomena
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00