Materials

Pressure-induced Superconductivity in Thermoelectric Semiconductor Mg3Sb2

Cuiying Pei, Yasong Wu, Airan Li, Juefei Wu, Qi Wang, Yifan Zhu, Yi Zhao, Lingling Gao, Changhua Li, Weizheng Cao, Shihao Zhu, Mingxin Zhang, Yulin Chen, Chenguang Fu, Tiejun Zhu, Jiong Yang, Yanpeng Qi

Featured August 6, 2026

Original Paper

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Simply

Squeezing the thermoelectric material Mg3Sb2 very hard makes its internal structure change, turning it into a metal and then a superconductor, while also flipping its electrical carrier type.

In depth

The paper reports the discovery of pressure-induced superconductivity in the thermoelectric semiconductor Mg3Sb2. This phenomenon is driven by a series of structural phase transitions (

P \overset{ˉ}{3} m 1 \to C 2/ m

-I

\to C 2/ m

-II) that occur under increasing pressure, leading to metallization and a crucial carrier-type inversion from p-type to n-type. The authors meticulously map out the high-pressure phase diagram, showing a dome-shaped dependence of the superconducting critical temperature (

T_{c}

) on pressure.

Key Takeaways

1
The study demonstrates the first observation of pressure-induced superconductivity in the thermoelectric semiconductor Mg3Sb2, with a maximum critical temperature ( $T_{c}$ ) of 3.3 K at 12.6 GPa.
2
The emergence of superconductivity is directly linked to pressure-induced structural phase transitions ( $P \overset{ˉ}{3} m 1 \to C 2/ m$ -I $\to C 2/ m$ -II) and a concomitant carrier-type inversion from p-type to n-type.
3
Through combined experimental and theoretical methods, the authors establish a comprehensive high-pressure phase diagram for Mg3Sb2, elucidating the interplay between structural, electronic, and superconducting properties.

Conceptual Flow

HIGH LEVEL

Methodology: How was it done?

The scientists squeezed a material very hard to see how its internal structure and electrical behavior changed, hoping to make it superconduct.

Material Sample

High Pressure

Change Structure & Properties

New Material Phases

Superconductivity

Results: What did they find?

They found that squeezing Mg3Sb2 turned it into a metal, then a superconductor, and even changed how electricity flowed through it.

Semiconductor Mg3Sb2

Apply Pressure

Metallic Phase

Superconducting Phase

Carrier Flip