Coexistence of superconductivity and charge-density wave in the quasi-one-dimensional material HfTe3

TL;DR

This study provides the first experimental evidence of superconductivity and charge density waves co-existing in HfTe3, a quasi-one-dimensional material, revealing insights into their relationship without external doping or pressure.

Contribution

First synthesis and structural confirmation of single-phase HfTe3 showing coexistence of superconductivity and charge density waves at ambient conditions.

Findings

Superconductivity observed at ~1.4 K

Charge density wave anomaly at ~82 K

Pressure shifts the CDW transition to higher temperatures

Abstract

We present the first experimental evidence for metallicity, superconductivity (SC) and the co-existence of charge density waves (CDW) in the quasi-one-dimensional material HfTe3. The existence of such phenomena is a typical characteristic of the transition metal chalcogenides however, without the application of hydrostatic pressure/chemical doping, it is rare for a material to exhibit the co-existence of both states. Materials such as HfTe3 can therefore provide us with a unique insight into the relationship between these multiple ordered states. By improving on the original synthesis conditions, we have successfully synthesised single phase HfTe3 and confirmed the resultant structure by performing Rietveld refinement. Using low temperature resistivity measurements, we provide the first experimental evidence of SC at ~1.4 K as well as a resistive anomaly indicative of a CDW formation at ~82 K. By the application of hydrostatic-pressure, the resistivity anomaly shifts to higher temperature. The results show that HfTe3 is a promising new material to help study the relationship between SC and CDW.