# Search for thermodynamically stable ambient-pressure superconducting hydrides in the GNoME database

## TL;DR

Researchers searched for stable hydrides that could superconduct at normal pressure and found 25 with superconducting potential, up to 17 K.

## Contribution

The study identifies 25 stable hydrides with superconductivity at ambient pressure using the GNoME database and ab initio methods.

## Key findings

- 25 cubic hydrides with superconducting critical temperatures above 4.2 K were identified.
- The highest critical temperature found was 17 K in stable hydrides.
- Stable hydrides are likely experimentally accessible and technologically relevant.

## Abstract

Hydrides are considered to be one of the most promising families of compounds for achieving high temperature superconductivity. However, there are very few experimental reports of ambient-pressure hydride superconductivity, and the superconducting critical temperatures (Tc) are typically less than 10 K. At the same time several hydrides have been predicted to exhibit superconductivity around 100 K at ambient pressure but in thermodynamically unfavorable phases. In this work we aim at assessing the superconducting properties of thermodynamically stable hydride superconductors at room pressure by investigating the GNoME material database, which has been recently released and includes thousands of hydrides thermodynamically stable at 0K. To scan this large material space we have adopted a multi stage approach which combines machine learning for a fast initial evaluation and cutting edge ab initio methods to obtain a reliable estimation of Tc. Ultimately we have identified 25 cubic hydrides with Tc above 4.2 K and reach a maximum Tc of 17 K. While these critical temperatures are modest in comparison to some recent predictions, the systems where they are found, being stable, are likely to be experimentally accessible and of potential technological relevance.

The recently published GNoME material database contains a large number of new thermodynamically stable hydride compounds. In this work the authors assess their superconducting properties using ab initio methods and identify 25 cubic hydrides with a maximum critical temperature of 17 K.