Stabilizing a hydrogen-rich superconductor at 1 GPa by the charge-transfer modulated virtual high-pressure effect

TL;DR

This study demonstrates that charge transfer modulation can stabilize a hydrogen-rich superconductor at ambient pressure, enabling high-temperature superconductivity in CsBH$_5$ with a Tc of 98 K.

Contribution

The paper introduces the charge transfer modulated virtual high-pressure effect as a novel mechanism to stabilize hydride structures at low pressure, facilitating ambient-pressure high-temperature superconductivity.

Findings

CaBH$_5$ structure remains stable down to 1 GPa with charge transfer modulation.

CsBH$_5$ exhibits a superconducting transition temperature of 98 K.

The mechanism allows stabilization of high-pressure phases at ambient conditions.

Abstract

Applying pressure around megabar is indispensable in the synthesis of high-temperature superconducting hydrides, such as SH$_3$ and LaH$_{10}$. Stabilizing the high-pressure phase of hydride around ambient condition is a severe challenge. Based on the density-functional theory calculations, we give the first example that the structure of hydride CaBH$_5$ predicted above 280 GPa, can maintain its dynamical stability with pressure down to 1 GPa, by modulating the charge transfer from metal atoms to hydrogen atoms via the replacement of Ca with alkali metal atoms e.g. Cs, in which the [BH$_5$]$^{2-}$ anion shrinks along $c$ axis and expands in the $ab$ plane, experiencing an anisotropic virtual high pressure. This mechanism, namely charge transfer modulated virtual high pressure effect, plays a vital role in enhancing the structural stability and leading to the reemergence of ambient-pressure-forbidden [BH$_5$]$^{2-}$ anion around 1 GPa in CsBH$_5$. Moreover, we find that CsBH$_5$ is a strongly coupled superconductor, with transition temperature as high as 98 K, well above the liquid-nitrogen temperature. Our findings provide a novel mechanism to reduce the critical pressure required by hydrogen-rich compound without changing its crystal structure, and also shed light on searching ambient-pressure high-temperature superconductivity in metal borohydrides.