High-throughput structural screening and property study of noncentrosymmetric superconductors in Th-based ZrNiAl-like compounds

Abstract

Noncentrosymmetric superconductors (NCSs) are emerging as potential materials for the investigation of nontraditional phenomena, including both the presence of a spin-singlet pairing configuration and the occurrence of a spin-triplet pairing configuration, as well as the manifestation of topological superconductivity. In this work, we constructed a high-throughput theoretical design and performed a computational screening of Th-based NCSs with ZrNiAl-like structures based on the first principles method. Through systematic stability evaluations, we expanded the range of Th-based ZrNiAl-like compounds with superior stability to 45 materials. In this group of substances, we have pinpointed 17 prospective entities exhibiting notable band separation in the vicinity of the Fermi level. Electron–phonon coupling calculations indicated that 14 of these compounds are superconducting. By performing an analysis of electronic properties, we proposed that ThAlRu and ThAlOs are two promising NCSs in this family. This work may aid in the exploration of the design and synthesis of Th-based ZrNiAl-like materials, leading to the discovery of more NCSs with unique superconducting properties.