Phase diagram and superconductivity of compressed zirconium hydrides.

Title	Phase diagram and superconductivity of compressed zirconium hydrides.
Authors	X.F. Li; Z.Y. Hu; B. Huang
Journal	Phys Chem Chem Phys
DOI	10.1039/c6cp08036g
Abstract	It is known that pressure can be applied to fundamentally alter the bonding patterns between the chemical elements. By employing an unbiased structure search method based on a particle swarm optimization (PSO) methodology, the phase diagram and crystal structures of Zr-H compounds are systematically investigated at a high pressure up to 150 GPa. Interestingly, some unexpectedly stable compounds with unusual chemical and physical properties are predicted to be formed, for example, four stable and metallic species with stoichiometries of ZrH, ZrH2, ZrH3, and ZrH6 are identified for the first time. It is interesting to note that Cmc21-ZrH6 adopts intriguing structures with H2 units. Surprisingly, it is found that Cmcm-ZrH is superconducting with Tc as high as 10.6 K. Our study opens a novel avenue for designing superconducting Zr-H compounds by applying pressure.
Citation	X.F. Li; Z.Y. Hu; B. Huang.Phase diagram and superconductivity of compressed zirconium hydrides.. Phys Chem Chem Phys. 2017. doi:10.1039/c6cp08036g

Related Elements

Zirconium

40 Zr 91.224000000 Zirconium

See more Zirconium products. Zirconium (atomic symbol: Zr, atomic number: 40) is a Block D, Group 4, Period 5 element with an atomic weight of 91.224. Zirconium Bohr Model The number of electrons in each of Zirconium's shells is 2, 8, 18, 10, 2 and its electron configuration is [Kr]4d² 5s². The zirconium atom has a radius of 160 pm and a Van der Waals radius of 186 pm. Zirconium was discovered by Martin Heinrich Klaproth in 1789 and first isolated by Jöns Jakob Berzelius in 1824. In its elemental form, zirconium has a silvery white appearance that is similar to titanium. Zirconium's principal mineral is zircon (zirconium silicate). Elemental Zirconium Zirconium is commercially produced as a byproduct of titanium and tin mining and has many applications as a opacifier and a refractory material. It is not found in nature as a free element. The name of zirconium comes from the mineral zircon, the most important source of zirconium, and from the Persian wordzargun, meaning gold-like.