First-principles prediction of high-temperature superconductivity in stretched carbon nanotubes

TL;DR

This study predicts that uniaxial tensile strain can induce high-temperature superconductivity in carbon nanotubes, with critical temperatures reaching up to 162 K, by enhancing electron-phonon interactions and phonon softening.

Contribution

It provides first-principles evidence that stretching carbon nanotubes can significantly elevate their superconducting critical temperature, revealing a new method to modulate 1D superconductors.

Findings

Superconductivity peaks at 162 K under 4.5% strain.

Straining softens phonons and increases electron-phonon coupling.

High-temperature superconductivity is feasible in carbon nanotubes.

Abstract

Superconductivity in quasi-one-dimensional systems is an significant but undervalued research field. In this work, based on the electron-phonon coupling mechanism, we systematically investigate the superconductivity in quasi-one-dimensional carbon nanotube under uniaxial tensile strain. The calculated superconducting critical temperature attains its peak value of 162 K at a uniaxial tensile strain of 4.5\%, being drastically higher than the counterpart in the unstrained carbon nanotube. An overall softening of phonons, strong electron-phonon coupling, and an increase of electronic density of states at the Fermi level, play key roles in achieving high-temperature superconductivity in this system. Our research demonstrates that stretching is an effective approach to modulating the superconductivity one-dimensional materials, and more importantly, indicates that high-temperature superconductivity may occur in carbon nanotubes.