Superconductivity in High-Entropy Antimonide M 1- x Pt x Sb (M = Equimolar Ru, Rh, Pd, and Ir).

The high-entropy concept was applied to the synthesis of transition-metal antimonides, M 1- x Pt x Sb (M = equimolar Ru, Rh, Pd, and Ir). High-entropy antimonide samples crystallized in a pseudo-hexagonal NiAs-type crystal structure with a P 6 3 / mmc space group were successfully synthesized through a conventional solid-state reaction and subsequent quenching. A detailed investigation of the composition and equilibration conditions confirmed the reversible phase transition between a multiphase state at low temperature and an entropy-driven single-phase solid solution at high temperatures. Electrical resistivity, magnetization, and heat capacity measurements of single-phase M 1- x Pt x Sb ( x = 0.2) samples revealed a bulk superconducting transition at 2.15(2) K. This study demonstrates that the high-entropy concept provides numerous opportunities for the discovery of new functional materials such as superconductors.