Superconductivity in 122-type antimonide BaPt$_2$Sb$_2$

TL;DR

This study reports the discovery and characterization of BaPt$_2$Sb$_2$, a novel 122-type antimonide superconductor with a $T_c$ of 1.8 K, featuring a unique monoclinic structure and multiple Fermi surfaces, contributing to its superconducting properties.

Contribution

The paper introduces a new monoclinic 122-type antimonide superconductor, BaPt$_2$Sb$_2$, with detailed structural, electronic, and superconducting property analysis, including ab-initio calculations.

Findings

BaPt$_2$Sb$_2$ is superconducting at 1.8 K.

It has a unique monoclinic crystal structure.

Electronic structure features multiple Fermi surfaces.

Abstract

The crystal structure, superconducting properties, and electronic structure of a novel superconducting 122-type antimonide, BaPt$_2$Sb$_2$, have been investigated by measurements of powder X-ray diffraction patterns, electrical resistivity, ac magnetic susceptibility, specific heat as well as ab-initio calculations. This material crystallizes in a new-type of monoclinic variant of the CaBe$_2$Ge$_2$-type structure, in which Pt$_2$Sb$_2$ layers consisting of PtSb$_4$ tetrahedra and Sb$_2$Pt$_2$ layers consisting of SbPt$_4$ tetrahedra are stacked alternatively and Ba atoms are located between the layers. Measurements of electrical resistivity, ac magnetic susceptibility and specific heat revealed that BaPt$_2$Sb$_2$ is a superconducting material with a $T_{\rm c}$ of 1.8 K. The electronic heat capacity coefficient $\gamma_{\rm n}$ and Debye temperature $\theta_{\rm D}$ were 8.6(2) mJ/mol K$^2$ and 146(4) K, where the figures in parentheses represent the standard deviation. The upper critical field $\mu_{\rm 0}H_{\rm c2}(0)$ and the Ginzburg-Landau coherent length $\xi(0)$ were determined to be 0.27 T and 35 nm. Calculations showed that it has two three-dimensional Fermi surfaces (FSs) and two two-dimensional FSs, leading to anisotropic transport properties. The d-states of the Pt atoms in the Pt2Sb2 layers mainly contribute to $N(E_{\rm F})$. A comparison between experimental and calculated results indicates that BaPt$_2$Sb$_2$ is a superconducting material with moderate coupling.