A silver(II) route to unconventional superconductivity

TL;DR

This study predicts that AgF$_2$, structurally similar to cuprates, can exhibit unconventional high-temperature superconductivity with a d-wave pairing mechanism, based on first-principles calculations and theoretical modeling.

Contribution

It demonstrates through first-principles and theoretical analysis that AgF$_2$ can host unconventional superconductivity akin to cuprates, highlighting its potential as a new high-$T_c$ superconductor.

Findings

AgF$_2$ shows a magnetic instability consistent with antiferromagnetic transition.

Unconventional d-wave superconductivity is predicted at optimal doping.

Superconducting pairing strength increases with reduced interlayer coupling.

Abstract

The highly unusual divalent silver in silver difluoride (AgF$_2$) features a nearly square lattice of Ag$^{+2}$ bridged by fluorides. As a structural and electronic analogue of cuprates, its superconducting properties are yet to be examined. Our first principles electronic structure calculations reveal a striking resemblance between AgF$_2$ and the cuprates. Computed spin susceptibility shows a magnetic instability consistent with the experimentally observed antiferromagnetic transition. A linearized Eliashberg theory in fluctuation-exchange approximation shows an unconventional singlet $d$-wave superconducting pairing for bulk AgF$_2$ at an optimal electron doping. The pairing is found to strengthen with a decreasing interlayer coupling, highlighting the importance of quasi-2D nature of the crystal structure. These findings place AgF$_2$ in the category of unconventional high-$T_\text{C}$ superconductors, and its chemical uniqueness may help shed new lights on the high-$T_\text{C}$ phenomena.