Résumé :
Clathrates constitute a rich structural family of compounds comprised of a cage framework which can host guest atoms, rendering them versatile platforms for a wide range of research. Clathrates range high Tc hydride superconductors to group 14 cages with a variety of guest atoms. Clathrates host interesting properties such as strong thermoelectric effects owing to the electron-crystal phonon-glass like behavior of these systems, and the topic of this talk, superconductivity.
Recently, the first boron stabilized carbon clathrates have been synthesized at high-pressure and high temperature conditions using laser heating in diamond anvil cells1. Apart from being interesting from a chemistry point of view, they have interesting mechanical properties due to the sp3 bonding nature of the carbon bearing cages, and several of these have been predicted to be superconducting with high transition temperatures2,3,4.
In this talk we will discuss the synthesis and superconducting properties of the newly discovered boron-carbon clathrates and strategies to enhance the transition temperature towards beating the ambient pressure transition temperature for conventional superconductors, presently held by MgB25.
[1]: Strobel, T. et al. (2021). Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 60 (6), 2877-2881. https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.202012821
[2]: Chen, W, J. Appl. Phys. 114, 173906 (2013) https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4829458
[3]: Zhu et al., Sci. Adv. 2020; 6 : eaay8361
[4]: Li Zhu et al. (2021) https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.1708.03483
[5] : Nagamatsu, J, et al., Nature 410, 63–64 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1038/35065039
The organizing committee.