Superconductivity in the High-Entropy Ceramics Ti 0.2 Zr 0.2 Nb 0.2 Mo 0.2 Ta 0.2 C x with Possible Nontrivial Band Topology.
Lingyong ZengXunwu HuYazhou ZhouMebrouka BoubecheRuixin GuoYang LiuSi-Chun LuoShu GuoKuan LiPeifeng YuChao ZhangWei-Ming GuoLiling SunDao-Xin YaoHuixia LuoPublished in: Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) (2023)
Topological superconductors have drawn significant interest from the scientific community due to the accompanying Majorana fermions. Here, the discovery of electronic structure and superconductivity (SC) in high-entropy ceramics Ti 0.2 Zr 0.2 Nb 0.2 Mo 0.2 Ta 0.2 C x (x = 1 and 0.8) combined with experiments and first-principles calculations is reported. The Ti 0.2 Zr 0.2 Nb 0.2 Mo 0.2 Ta 0.2 C x high-entropy ceramics show bulk type-II SC with T c ≈ 4.00 K (x = 1) and 2.65 K (x = 0.8), respectively. The specific heat jump (∆C/γT c ) is equal to 1.45 (x = 1) and 1.52 (x = 0.8), close to the expected value of 1.43 for the BCS superconductor in the weak coupling limit. The high-pressure resistance measurements show a robust SC against high physical pressure in Ti 0.2 Zr 0.2 Nb 0.2 Mo 0.2 Ta 0.2 C, with a slight T c variation of 0.3 K within 82.5 GPa. Furthermore, the first-principles calculations indicate that the Dirac-like point exists in the electronic band structures of Ti 0.2 Zr 0.2 Nb 0.2 Mo 0.2 Ta 0.2 C, which is potentially a topological superconductor. The Dirac-like point is mainly contributed by the d orbitals of transition metals M and the p orbitals of C. The high-entropy ceramics provide an excellent platform for the fabrication of novel quantum devices, and the study may spark significant future physics investigations in this intriguing material.