Superconductivity of Sc20BC27 at ambient and under applied pressure conditions

Abstract

In the search for superconductivity with a high critical temperature Tc, new materials with light elements are expected to favor electron-phonon coupling at higher frequencies, thus achieving a higher Tc. Due to their typically stiff bonds and the small atomic masses, carbon intercalated compounds are among the prototypes of light-element superconductors. Here, we report on the electronic and superconducting properties of Sc20BC27, a member of the carbon-based layered compounds. By using mostly muon-spin spectroscopy (μSR), we investigate the Sc20BC27 superconductivity as a function of temperature and hydrostatic pressure. The experimental data are compatible with a single s-wave-gap superconductor in the clean limit. In particular, we find that the magnetic penetration depth at ambient pressure, λ=512(3)nm, decreases only slightly with increasing pressure (up to 16.7 kbar). The superconducting gap Δ(0)=1.73(3)meV is fully isotropic at ambient pressure, but it becomes anisotropic under hydrostatic-pressure conditions. At the same time, similar to other carbon-based superconductors, Tc increases with applied pressure.

Source-reported materials — not catalogue approval

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