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Kruglov, Ivan A.

Publications and source records attributed to Kruglov, Ivan A..

Non‐Fermi‐Liquid Behavior of Superconducting SnH 4

Abstract The chemical interaction of Sn with H 2 by X‐ray diffraction methods at pressures of 180–210 GPa is studied. A previously unknown tetrahydride SnH 4 with a cubic structure ( fcc ) exhibiting superconducting properties below T C = 72 K is obtained; the formation of a high molecular C 2/ m ‐SnH 14 superhydride and several lower hydrides, fcc SnH 2 , and C 2‐Sn 12 H 18 , is also detected. The temperature dependence of critical current density J C (T) in SnH 4 yields the superconducting gap 2Δ(0) = 21.6 meV at 180 GPa. SnH 4 has unusual behavior in strong magnetic fields: B,T ‐linear dependences of magnetoresistance and the upper critical magnetic field B C2 (T) ∝ ( T C – T ). The latter contradicts the Wertheimer–Helfand–Hohenberg model developed for conventional superconductors. Along with this, the temperature dependence of electrical resistance of fcc SnH 4 in non‐superconducting state exhibits a deviation from what is expected for phonon‐mediated scattering described by the Bloch‐Grüneisen model and is beyond the framework of the Fermi liquid theory. Such anomalies occur for many superhydrides, making them much closer to cuprates than previously believed.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Synthesis of molecular metallic barium superhydride: pseudocubic BaH 12

Following the discovery of high-temperature superconductivity in the La–H system, we studied the formation of new chemical compounds in the barium-hydrogen system at pressures from 75 to 173 GPa. Using in situ generation of hydrogen from NH 3 BH 3 , we synthesized previously unknown superhydride BaH 12 with a pseudocubic (fcc) Ba sublattice in four independent experiments. Density functional theory calculations indicate close agreement between the theoretical and experimental equations of state. In addition, we identified previously known P6/mmm-BaH 2 and possibly BaH 10 and BaH 6 as impurities in the samples. Ab initio calculations show that newly discovered semimetallic BaH 12 contains H 2 and H 3 – molecular units and detached H 12 chains which are formed as a result of a Peierls-type distortion of the cubic cage structure. Barium dodecahydride is a unique molecular hydride with metallic conductivity that demonstrates the superconducting transition around 20 K at 140 GPa.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Synthesis of clathrate cerium superhydride CeH 9 at 80-100 GPa with atomic hydrogen sublattice

Hydrogen-rich superhydrides are believed to be very promising high-T c superconductors. Recent experiments discovered superhydrides at very high pressures, e.g. FeH 5 at 130 GPa and LaH 10 at 170 GPa. With the motivation of discovering new hydrogen-rich high-T c superconductors at lowest possible pressure, here we report the prediction and experimental synthesis of cerium superhydride CeH9 at 80–100 GPa in the laser-heated diamond anvil cell coupled with synchrotron X-ray diffraction. Ab initio calculations were carried out to evaluate the detailed chemistry of the Ce-H system and to understand the structure, stability and superconductivity of CeH 9 . CeH 9 crystallizes in a P6 3 /mmc clathrate structure with a very dense 3-dimensional atomic hydrogen sublattice at 100 GPa. These findings shed a significant light on the search for superhydrides in close similarity with atomic hydrogen within a feasible pressure range. Discovery of superhydride CeH 9 provides a practical platform to further investigate and understand conventional superconductivity in hydrogen rich superhydrides.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Uranium polyhydrides at moderate pressures: Prediction, synthesis, and expected superconductivity

Hydrogen-rich hydrides attract great attention due to recent theoretical (1) and then experimental discovery of record high-temperature superconductivity in H 3 S [T c = 203 K at 155 GPa (2)]. Here we search for stable uranium hydrides at pressures up to 500 GPa using ab initio evolutionary crystal structure prediction. Chemistry of the U-H system turned out to be extremely rich, with 14 new compounds, including hydrogen-rich UH 5 , UH 6 , U 2 H 13 , UH 7 , UH 8 , U 2 H 17 , and UH 9 . Their crystal structures are based on either common face-centered cubic or hexagonal close-packed uranium sublattice and unusual H 8 cubic clusters. Our high-pressure experiments at 1 to 103 GPa confirm the predicted UH 7 , UH 8 , and three different phases of UH 5 , raising confidence about predictions of the other phases. Many of the newly predicted phases are expected to be high-temperature superconductors. The highest-T c superconductor is UH 7 , predicted to be thermodynamically stable at pressures above 22 GPa (with T c = 44 to 54 K), and this phase remains dynamically stable upon decompression to zero pressure (where it has T c = 57 to 66 K).

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗