Synthesis of cerium superhydride CeH9 with 3-dimensional atomic hydrogen sublattice

ORAL

Abstract

Hydrogen-rich super/polyhydrides were considered as an alternative to the monatomic metallic hydrogen to achieve superconductivity close to room temperature at relatively lower pressure. Concomitantly, superconductivity was reported in H3S at record high Tc of 203 K at 200 GPa. Synthesis of superhydrides is very challenging as most of these super/polyhydrides stabilize at very high pressure for e.g., FeH5 and LaH10 stabilized at 130 and 170 GPa respectively. However, it would be always useful if superhydrides are synthesized at lower possible pressure. With this motivation, we carried the experimental and theoretical studies on Ce-H system. We have successfully synthesized superhydride CeH9 around 100 GPa in the laser-heated diamond anvil cell. Theoretical calculations were carried to understand the structure, stability and superconductivity of CeH9. CeH9 crystallized in a P63/mmc clathrate structure with 3-dimensional atomic hydrogen sublattice. Synthesis of CeH9 at feasible pressure range is very promising and hints towards the future possibility to achieve higher Tc value with the lowest possible pressure in hydride superconductors. This study will also help to further investigate and understand hydride superconductivity at feasible pressure range.

Presenters

  • Nilesh Salke

    Center for High Pressure Science & Technology Advanced Research (HPSTAR), Shanghai, 201203, China

Authors

  • Nilesh Salke

    Center for High Pressure Science & Technology Advanced Research (HPSTAR), Shanghai, 201203, China

  • M. Mahdi Davari Esfahani

    Department of Geosciences, Center for Materials by Design, and Institute for Advanced Computational Science, State University of New York, Stony Brook, New York 11794-2100, U

  • Youjun Zhang

    Institute of Atomic and Molecular Physics, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China

  • Ivan Kruglov

    Department of Problems of Physics and Energetics, Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, 9 Institutskiy Lane, Dolgoprudny City, Moscow Region 141700, Russia

  • Jianshi Zhou

    Texas Materials Institute, University of Texas at Austin, University of Texas at Austin, Mechanical Engineering, University of Texas at Austin, Mechanical Engineering, University of Texas, University of Texas (Austin, USA), Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, USA

  • Yaguo Wang

    Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, USA

  • Eran Greenberg

    Argonne National Laboratory, University of Chicago, Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory, Center for Advanced Radiation Sources, University of Chicago, Illinois, 60637, USA, Advanced Photon Source - Sector-13, Argonne National Laboratory

  • Vitali Prakapenka

    Argonne National Laboratory, University of Chicago, Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory, Center for Advanced Radiation Sources, University of Chicago, Illinois, 60637, USA, Advanced Photon Source - Sector-13, Argonne National Laboratory

  • Artem Oganov

    Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, Skolkovo Innovation Center, 3 Nobel Street, Moscow 143026, Russia

  • Jung-Fu Lin

    Department of Geological Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, USA