Superconductivity and hardness of the equiatomic high-entropy alloy HfMoNbTiZr

TL;DR

This study investigates the superconducting and hardness properties of the equiatomic high-entropy alloy HfMoNbTiZr, revealing its critical temperature, electron-phonon coupling, and the relationship between hardness, Debye temperature, and superconductivity.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed analysis of superconductivity and hardness in bcc high-entropy alloys, highlighting the correlation between these properties and atomic disorder effects.

Findings

HfMoNbTiZr is a type-II BCS superconductor with T_c=4.1 K.

Superconducting T_c decreases with decreasing electron-phonon coupling constant.

Hardness increases with Debye temperature, which negatively correlates with T_c.

Abstract

We have found that body-centered cubic (bcc) HfMoNbTiZr is a type-II BCS high-entropy alloy (HEA) superconductor with a superconducting critical temperature of $T_\mathrm{c}$=4.1 K. By employing a Debye temperature $\theta_\mathrm{D}$ of 263 K and $T_\mathrm{c}$, the electron-phonon coupling constant $\lambda_\mathrm{e-p}$ is calculated to be 0.63. The electronic structure calculation revealed band broadening with energy uncertainties due to atomic disorders. The superconducting properties are compared among equiatomic quinary bcc HEA superconductors. $T_\mathrm{c}$ decreases with decreasing $\lambda_\mathrm{e-p}$, which is negatively correlated with $\theta_{D}$. The negative correlation between $\lambda_\mathrm{e-p}$ and $\theta_{D}$ would be caused by a shorter phonon lifetime at a higher $\theta_{D}$, which is based on phonon broadening due to atomic disorder and the uncertainty principle. The Vickers microhardness was measured for several bcc HEA superconductors. $T_\mathrm{c}$ is exceptionally low in a superconductor with relatively high hardness, because the hardness generally increases with increasing $\theta_\mathrm{D}$, and $\theta_\mathrm{D}$ is negatively correlated with $T_\mathrm{c}$ in the high-entropy state.