Pressure-induced structural and superconducting transitions in black arsenic

Authors :: Wu, Y. Y.
Mu, L.
Zhang, Y. L.
Dai, D. Z.
Meng, K.
Huang, S. Y.
Zhang, X.
Huang, S. C.
Chen, J.
Yan, H. G.
Li, S. Y.
Publication Year :: 2025
Abstract: We report high-pressure Raman spectra and resistance measurements of black arsenic (b-As) up to 58 GPa, along with phonon density of states (DOS) and enthalpy calculations for four reported arsenic phases up to 50 GPa. It is found that metastable b-As transforms into gray arsenic (g-As) phase at a critical pressure of 1.51 GPa, followed by subsequent transitions to simple cubic arsenic (c-As) and incommensurate host-guest arsenic (hg-As) phases at 25.9 and 44.8 GPa, respectively. Superconductivity emerges above 25 GPa in the c-As phase, with the superconducting transition temperature ($T$$\rm_c$) remaining nearly a constant of 3 K. Upon further compression, $T$$\rm_c$ steeply increases to a higher value around 4.5 K in the incommensurate hg-As phase above 43 GPa. We use our results to update the structural and superconducting phase diagrams under pressure for the novel semiconductor, black arsenic.<br />Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures, accepted by Physical Review B