Observation of double superconducting domes in multilayer tellurene under high pressure

Abstract

Intensive investigation of elemental two-dimensional (2D) materials with anisotropic structures holds promise for unraveling novel physical phenomena and clarifying the relationship between dimensionality and superconductivity. Here, we successfully observed unprecedented double superconducting domes in a 2D elemental superconductor multilayer tellurene under high pressure. Upon compression, multilayer tellurene undergoes multiple structural phase transitions dissimilar with bulk tellurium, progressing from an initial hexagonal twofold P3121 phase to a quasi-2D monoclinic fourfold P21 phase and ultimately to the three-dimensional (3D) rhombohedral sixfold R3¯m and cubic eightfold Im3¯m structures. Moreover, low-temperature electrical resistance measurements demonstrate the emergence of superconductivity at 0.5 GPa with superconducting transition temperature (Tc) ∼2.9 K. The pressure-dependent Tc reveals an unexpected double-dome superconducting phase diagram alongside notably different upper critical fields that benefit from the combined effect of dimensional change and structural modulation. This work observed pressure-induced double-dome superconductivity in the elemental 2D materials, offering a promising pathway for achieving uncommon superconductivity behavior in 2D systems under extreme conditions.

Source-reported materials — not catalogue approval

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