Stability Analysis of Superconductivity in $\textit{P6/mmm}$-LaSc$_2$H$_{24}$ and its Experimental Reproducibility from La-Sc Alloys

Abstract

In this work, we analyze the feasibility of room-temperature superconductivity in the lanthanum-scandium hydride $\textit{P6/mmm}$-LaSc$_2$H$_{24}$. We demonstrate that the electron-phonon coupling calculations performed using the $σ$-broadening of the double $δ$-function at the Fermi surface lead to a very strong dependence of $\textit{T$_c$}(σ)$ on the arbitrary $σ$, whereas the tetrahedral method for the electron-phonon interaction is free from this drawback and leads to $\textit{T$_c$}$ > 300 K at 300 GPa in agreement with previous predictions. By analyzing the stability of the metallic state of LaSc$_2$H$_{24}$ at 250-300 GPa, we show that this compound is at the edge of the stability region ($ξ$ = 0.54), similar to $\textit{fcc}$ LaH$_{10}$ at 140-150 GPa. Experimental attempts to synthesize LaSc$_2$H$_{24}$ at 250-280 GPa starting from the (La,Sc$_2$) alloy are unsuccessful and indicate the absence of even traces of superconductivity at 245-300 K in all the resulting La-Sc-H hydrides. The method for preparing the precursor by simultaneous deposition of La and Sc metals may be a key factor for the successful synthesis of LaSc$_2$H$_{24}$.