First-principles study on superconductivity of the gold–indium alloy under high pressure

Abstract

The superconductivity of gold-indium alloys has been investigated using first-principles calculations based on the density functional theory. At ambient pressure, the calculated superconducting transition temperature (T c ) is 0.04 μK in pure gold, but T c dramatically increases by substituting indium atoms for gold atoms. The gold-indium alloy having 12.5 atomic percent indium (Au 0.875 In 0.125 ) shows T c of 0.1 K, and Au 0.75 In 0.25 marks 1.7 K. The dramatic increase in T c owing to the alloying effect is caused by the enhancement of the electron-phonon coupling. The superconductivity of gold is predicted to be drastically weakened with increasing pressure and virtually disappear at 10 GPa, but it continues up to at least 30 GPa by the inclusion of indium atoms.

First-principles study on high-pressure phases and compression properties of gold-bearing intermetallic compounds

“…for Au. For example, the alloys of Au and copper (Cu) not only reduce the cost of Au but also enhance the stability of Cu by oxidization [5]; compared with pure Au, a new class of Au-Ag alloys are promising catalysts with superior performance in activity, selectivity, stability and anti-toxicity [6][7][8][9][10]; and the superconductivity of Au is dramatically enhanced in the Au-In and Au-Pb alloys [11,12]. As a consequence, a great number of investigations have focused on Au-based compounds to ameliorate their related performance.…”