Synthesis of LaBeH8 – a high-Tc superconductor at moderate pressures

High pressure superhydrides provide an exciting route to finding room temperature superconductivity. Currently, LaH10 holds the record for the highest experimentally confirmed critical temperature (Tc) at a pressure of 200 GPa. It is now important to find high Tc superconducting materials at lower pressure. We will synthesise and study the ternary hydride LaBeH8, which has recently been predicted to have a Tc of 192 K at 100 GPa, and to be dynamically stable down to 20 GPa. We will use laser-heating and X-ray diffraction to search for avenues to synthesise LaBeH8 and will probe the range of dynamical stability. Based on this information, we will prepare high quality samples for electrical measurements at the University of Bristol. This project offers the prospect to achieve a record Tc below 20 GPa. Furthermore it will help to understand the mechanism behind superconductivity in hydride compounds.

高压超氢化物（high pressure superhydrides）为寻找室温超导性提供了一条令人振奋的途径。目前，LaH10在200 GPa压力下保持着实验证实的最高临界温度（critical temperature，Tc）记录。如今，寻找低压下的高Tc超导材料至关重要。我们将合成并研究三元氢化物（ternary hydride）LaBeH8——该化合物近期被预测在100 GPa压力下Tc为192 K，且在低至20 GPa压力下仍具有动态稳定性。我们将采用激光加热（laser-heating）和X射线衍射（X-ray diffraction）技术探索LaBeH8的合成路径，并探究其动态稳定性范围。基于这些信息，我们将制备高质量样品，用于布里斯托大学的电学测量。该项目有望在20 GPa以下压力下实现创纪录的Tc。此外，它将助力理解氢化物超导性背后的机制。