Superconductivity of Bulk Abnormal Magic-stoichiometric Na3Cl Salt Crystals at Normal Pressure

Abstract: The identification of new materials with superconducting properties is the pursuit in the realm of superconductivity research. Here, excitedly, we show that the simplest salt daily used can be made a superconductor at normal pressure only by adjusting its stoichiometry of Na and Cl as Na3Cl at normal pressure based on first-principles calculations. This bulk stable abnormal Na-Cl stoichiometric crystal of 3:1, the first ‘magic’ ratio, includes metallic (Na) atoms in the core as well as hybridization of ionic and metallic bonding, facilitating the electron-phonon-coupling for superconductivity with a critical temperature Tc of 0.13 K. The flat bands and van Hove singularities near the Fermi level produce large densities of states, similar to H3S and LaH10, which is beneficial for the emergence of superconductivity. The crystal composed of with abnormal Na-Cl magic stoichiometry is a precisely tunable, purely sodium and chloride-based, three-dimensional bulk superconductor, which is therefore an ideal material for designing and understanding abnormal stoichiometric crystals. The methodology of constructing this bulk abnormal crystal may be general to almost all elements, which could lead to insights into the physics of other conventional superconductors and even high-critical-temperature superconductors.