Abstract
Polycrystalline Zr5Al4 was synthesized using the arc-melting method. Powder X-ray diffraction confirms the previously reported crystal structure of the Ti5Ga4-type () with lattice parameters: , and . Electrical resistivity and low-temperature magnetic susceptibility measurements indicate that Zr5Al4 exhibits superconducting behavior below 2 K. The normalized heat capacity jump at , , confirms the bulk superconductivity. The Sommerfeld coefficient and the Debye temperature were obtained by fitting the low-temperature heat capacity data. The electron-phonon coupling strength and estimated upper critical field (dirty limit) suggest that Zr5Al4 is a weakly coupled type-II superconductor. First-principles calculations show the presence of a van Hove singularity near the Fermi energy.
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