Modulation of superconductivity and superhardness in borocarbides at ambient pressure
Phys. Rev. B 111, 224515 – Published 30 June, 2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/lswp-5cxx
Abstract
Diamond and its doped materials have garnered widespread attention for their potential applications in superconductivity and superhardness. Here we introduce a class of heavily boron-doped diamond, , stabilized by cation compensation. Using density functional theory, we perform high-throughput screening on 67 compounds and identify 6 that are dynamically and mechanically stable at ambient pressure. These materials offer a wide range of tunable properties through the substitution of guest atoms in : regulating the Fermi level and electronic density of states to achieve high-temperature superconductors, and altering covalent bond lengths and strengths to obtain superhard materials. Among them, hosts a superconducting critical temperature () of 83 K, with an optimal Van Hove singularity, while and exhibits a hardness of ∼44 GPa. The current research findings establish stable heavy boron-doped diamonds with remarkable properties, paving the way for achieving high-temperature superconductivity and superhard performance at ambient pressure.