Monoclinic LaSb<sub>2</sub> Superconducting Thin Films.

Llanos, Adrian; Campisi, Giovanna; Show, Veronica; Kim, Jinwoong; Dorrian, Reiley; Salmani-Rezaie, Salva; Kioussis, Nicholas; Falson, Joseph · Nano Lett · 2024

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

Rare-earth diantimondes exhibit coupling between structural and electronic orders, which are tunable under pressure and temperature. Here we present the discovery of a new polymorph of LaSb<sub>2</sub> stabilized in thin films synthesized using molecular beam epitaxy. Using diffraction, electron microscopy, and first-principles calculations we identify a YbSb<sub>2</sub>-type monoclinic lattice as a yet-uncharacterized stacking configuration. The material hosts superconductivity with a <i>T</i><sub>c</sub> = 2 K, which is enhanced relative to the bulk ambient phase, and a long superconducting coherence length of 1730 Å. This result highlights the potential thin film growth has in stabilizing novel stacking configurations in quasi-two-dimensional compounds with competing layered structures.