Zero resistance from one atmosphere to the pressure of earth's outer core in a superconducting high entropy alloy

TL;DR

This study demonstrates that a high entropy alloy maintains zero-resistance superconductivity from atmospheric pressure up to pressures comparable to Earth's outer core, revealing exceptional robustness and potential for extreme environment applications.

Contribution

It reports the discovery of a high entropy alloy superconductor with superconductivity persisting under unprecedented high pressures, expanding understanding of superconductivity under extreme conditions.

Findings

Superconductivity persists from ambient pressure to 190.6 GPa.

Transition temperature increases from 7.7 K to 10 K and then slightly decreases.

The alloy's unique electronic and mechanical properties enable this robustness.

Abstract

We report the observation of extraordinarily robust zero-resistance superconductivity in the pressurized (TaNb)0.67(HfZrTi)0.33 high entropy alloy - a new kind of material with a body-centered cubic crystal structure made from five randomly distributed transition metal elements. The transition to superconductivity (TC) increases from an initial temperature of 7.7 K at ambient pressure to 10 K at ~ 60 GPa, and then slowly decreases to 9 K by 190.6 GPa, a pressure that falls within that of the outer core of the earth. We infer that the continuous existence of the zero-resistance superconductivity from one atmosphere up to such a high pressure requires a special combination of electronic and mechanical characteristics. This high entropy alloy superconductor thus may have a bright future for applications under extreme conditions, and also poses a challenge for understanding the underlying quantum physics.