Decompression-Driven Superconductivity Enhancement in In Se.

An unexpected superconductivity enhancement is reported in decompressed In Se . The onset of superconductivity in In Se occurs at 41.3 GPa with a critical temperature (T ) of 3.7 K, peaking at 47.1 GPa. The striking observation shows that this layered chalcogenide remains superconducting in decompression down to 10.7 GPa. More surprisingly, the highest T that occurs at lower decompression pressures is 8.2 K, a twofold increase in the same crystal structure as in compression. It is found that the evolution of T is driven by the pressure-induced R-3m to I-43d structural transition and significant softening of phonons and gentle variation of carrier concentration combined in the pressure quench. The novel decompression-induced superconductivity enhancement implies that it is possible to maintain pressure-induced superconductivity at lower or even ambient pressures with better superconducting performance.