Monoclinic LaSb₂ Superconducting Thin Films

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 2 stabilized in thin films synthesized using molecular beam epitaxy. Using diffraction, electron microscopy, and first-principles calculations we identify a YbSb 2 -type monoclinic lattice as a yet-uncharacterized stacking configuration. The material hosts superconductivity with a T c = 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.