Is Lithium Sulfide a MgB2-like Superconductor?

Abstract

Lithium Sulfide, Li2S, is an anti-fluorite semiconductor with a band-gap of 3.865 eV. It also has exactly the same valence electron count, Ne, and atomic number, Z, as magnesium diboride, MgB2. Both have almost the same formula weight. This qualifies Li2S as a magnesium-diboride like material. Li2S passes the same computational material specific test for superconductivity as MgB2. Using our recently developed symmetry rules for searching for superconductors, we predict that Li2S, with electronegativity of 1.5, will be superconducting with a Tc of 33.8K, if double-gapped or 16.9K if single gapped.