Pd₃Te₂: an s-wave superconductor with Pd atom coordinated by five Te atoms

Abstract We have identified a new superconductor Pd3Te2 based on pure phase samples. Electrical resistivity, magnetic susceptibility and specific heat measurements confirm that Pd3Te2 is a bulk superconductor at 2.2 K. The value of Ginzburg–Landau parameter is larger than 1/√2, suggesting type-II superconductivity. Meanwhile, the analysis of specific heat indicates that Pd3Te2 is a fully-gapped superconductor with electron-phonon coupling constant λ e-p = 0.58, which features a BCS weakly coupling case. According to our theoretical calculations, the superconductivity is related to the states of hybridization of Pd d states and Te p states at the Fermi level. Our results reveal that superconductivity can occur in five coordinated palladium tellurides.