Superconductivity of Y5Rh6Sn18; Coexistence of the high temperature thermal lattice relaxation process and superconductivity

• Published in: Journal of alloys and compounds Vol. 819; p. 152959
• Main Authors: Ślebarski, A., Zajdel, P., Maśka, M.M., Deniszczyk, J., Fijałkowski, M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Lausanne Elsevier B.V 05-04-2020; Elsevier BV
• Subjects: Atomic disorder; Critical field (superconductivity); Electron states; Electronic band structure; High temperature; Magnetic properties; Mathematical analysis; Rare earth alloys and compounds; Superconductivity; Transition temperature; Transport properties; Atomic disorder; Rare earth alloys and compounds; Electronic band structure; Superconductivity
• ISSN: 0925-8388; 1873-4669
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jallcom.2019.152959

The heat capacity, magnetic, and electrical transport properties of skutterudite-related Y5Rh6Sn18 compound indicate intriguing coexistence of the high temperature thermal lattice relaxation process at temperatures higher than 350 K and superconductivity below the superconducting transition temperature Tc=3.08 K. Y5Rh6Sn18, having a cage-like structure crystallises in tetragonal structure with the space group I41/acd. The gap structure of this compound is found not to be characteristic of conventional BCS type superconductors. Anomalous behaviour observed in the electronic specific heat C(T)/T and the upper critical field Hc2(T) data may suggest the presence of two superconducting gaps in this compound. The ab initio band structure calculations showed a significant contribution of s and p Sn states as well as Rh and Y d-electron states to the total density of states near the Fermi level, which supports the multi-band superconductivity of this compound. Several electronic quantities and parameters characterising the superconducting and normal state of Y5Rh6Sn18 are calculated within the Ginzburg-Landau-Abrikosov-Gorkov theory. The data reveals dirty limit superconductivity in Y5Rh6Sn18 superconductor of type-II.
•The impact of nanoscale disorder on superconductivity of Y5Rh6Sn18.•Evidence for two superconducting gap behavior of Y5Rh6Sn18.•Coexistence of thermal lattice relaxation process and superconductivity.•Band structure calculations predicted a topological behavior of the Fermi surface of Y5Rh6Sn18.