Soft-mode-phonon-mediated insulator–superconductor transition in doped two-dimensional topological insulator RuC

Abstract

Recently, the search of superconducting materials with topological states has attracted extensive interest due to their exotic properties. By using first-principles calculations, we predict that RuC monolayer is a two-dimensional topological insulator (TI) and shows a TI–superconductor transition under electron doping, leading to a superconducting transition temperature Tc of 1.4 K. Further analysis reveals that the emergence of superconductivity in RuC depends critically on the existence of flatband optical phonons as well as the appearance of multiple electron-pockets and phonon mode softening induced by doping. Moreover, we find that Li-intercalated RuC (LiRuC) is a thermal dynamically stable, superconducting material with a high Tc of 9.8 K, benefitting from the strong electron–phonon coupling. Many other superconductors with flat phonon bands are also predicted via elemental substitution in LiRuC. Our results will broaden the research interest in exploring more superconductors and modulating their physical properties through flat phonon bands.