Pressure-induced concurrent amorphization and superconductivity in topological material NbNiTe5

Abstract

We have systematically studied the structural and electronic properties of a topological material NbNiTe5 under high pressure. The evolution of the normal state resistance shows a non-monotonic trend from 0.7 GPa to 5.1 GPa, in accordance with the second-order transition along the inter-layer direction observed in X-ray diffraction and Raman spectra. At around 10 GPa, the sample starts amorphization, which is concurrent with the emergence of superconductivity. Upon further compression, the structural disorder enhances and the superconducting transition becomes clearer, suggesting that the superconductivity is modulated by the degree of disorder in NbNiTe5 under high pressure. Within 45.7 GPa, the superconducting transition temperature (Tc) slowly rises from 0.6 K at 9.5 GPa to 1.4 K at 45.7 GPa. Our findings extend the family of transition metal chalcogenide superconductors and shed new light on understanding superconductivity in disordered systems.