Superconductivity at 215 K in lanthanum hydride at high pressures

TL;DR

This study reports the synthesis of lanthanum hydride at high pressures exhibiting a record superconducting transition temperature of 215 K, advancing the pursuit of room-temperature superconductivity in hydrides.

Contribution

It demonstrates that lanthanum hydride can achieve a higher Tc than previously known hydrides, supporting the potential of sodalite-like structured hydrides for room-temperature superconductivity.

Findings

Superconductivity observed at 209 K at 170 GPa

Superconducting transition temperature increases to 215 K at 150 GPa

Supports the potential of hydrides with sodalite-like structures for high Tc

Abstract

We synthesized lanthanum hydride (LaHx) by laser heating of lanthanum in hydrogen atmosphere at pressure P = 170 GPa. The sample shows a superconducting step at 209 K and 170 GPa and temperature dependence of resistance. By releasing the pressure to 150 GPa, the superconducting transition temperature Tc increases to 215 K - the record Tc. This finding supports a way of achieving Tc higher than the one in H3S (203 K) in hydrides with sodalite-like structures, first proposed for CaH6 (Tc=245 K) and later for yttrium and lanthanum hydrides where higher, room temperature superconductivity is expected.