Making new layered superconductors using high entropy alloys

Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have created new superconductors made of layers of bismuth sulfide (BiS₂) and a high entropy rare earth alloy oxyfluoride, containing five different rare earth (RE) elements at the same crystallographic site. The new material retains superconducting properties over a wider range of lattice parameters than materials without high-entropy-alloy states. Their work promises an exciting new strategy for designing new layered superconductors, a potentially key development in the search for high-temperature superconductors.