Is Lithium Sulfide a MgB2-like Superconductor?

TL;DR

This paper predicts that Lithium Sulfide (Li2S), sharing key electronic properties with MgB2, could be a superconductor with a transition temperature around 17-34K based on computational symmetry rules.

Contribution

It introduces a novel prediction that Li2S, a semiconductor with similar valence electron count and structure to MgB2, may exhibit superconductivity.

Findings

Li2S is predicted to be superconducting with Tc of 33.8K (double-gapped).

Li2S has a potential Tc of 16.9K if single-gapped.

Li2S shares electronic and structural similarities with MgB2, supporting the prediction.

Abstract

Lithium Sulfide, Li2S, is an anti-fluorite semiconductor with a band-gap of 3.865 eV. It also has exactly the same valence electron count, Ne, and atomic number, Z, as magnesium diboride, MgB2. Both have almost the same formula weight. This qualifies Li2S as a magnesium-diboride like material. Li2S passes the same computational material specific test for superconductivity as MgB2. Using our recently developed symmetry rules for searching for superconductors, we predict that Li2S, with electronegativity of 1.5, will be superconducting with a Tc of 33.8K, if double-gapped or 16.9K if single gapped.