First-principles study of high-pressure structural phase transition and superconductivity of YBeH8.

Abstract

The theory-led prediction of LaBeH8, which has a high superconducting critical temperature (Tc) above liquid nitrogen under a pressure level below 1 Mbar, has been experimentally confirmed. YBeH8, which has a structural configuration similar to that of LaBeH8, has also been predicted to be a high-temperature superconductor at high pressure. In this study, we focus on the structural phase transition and superconductivity of YBeH8 under pressure by using first-principles calculations. Except for the known face-centered cubic phase of Fm3̄m, we found a monoclinic phase with P1̄ symmetry. Moreover, the P1̄ phase transforms to the Fm3̄m phase at ∼200GPa with zero-point energy corrections. Interestingly, the P1̄ phase undergoes a complex electronic phase transition from semiconductor to metal and then to superconducting states with a low Tc of 40K at 200GPa. The Fm3̄m phase exhibits a high Tc of 201K at 200GPa, and its Tc does not change significantly with pressure. When we combine the method using two coupling constants, λopt and λac, with first-principles calculations, λopt is mainly supplied by the Be-H alloy backbone, which accounts for about 85% of total λ and makes the greatest contribution to the high Tc. These insights not only contribute to a deeper understanding of the superconducting behavior of this ternary hydride but may also guide the experimental synthesis of hydrogen-rich compounds.