We report the synthesis of single-crystal NbC, a transition metal carbide with various unusual properties. Transport, magnetic susceptibility, and specific heat measurements demonstrate that NbC is a conventional superconductor with a superconducting transition temperature (Tc) of 11.5 K. Our theoretical calculations show that NbC is a type-II Dirac semimetal with strong Fermi surface nesting, which is supported by our ARPES measurement results. We also observed the superconducting gaps of NbC using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) and found some unconventional behaviors. These intriguing superconducting and topological properties, combined with the high corrosion resistance, make NbC an ideal platform for both fundamental research and device applications.
@article{arxiv.2010.14259,
title = {Superconductivity and Fermi Surface Nesting in the Candidate Dirac Semimetal NbC},
author = {Dayu Yan and Daiyu Geng and Qiang Gao and Zhihai Cui and Changjiang Yi and Ya Feng and Chunyao Song and Hailan Luo and Meng Yang and Masashi Arita and Shiv Kumar and Eike F. Schwier and Kenya Shimada and Lin Zhao and Kehui Wu and Hongmini Weng and Lan Chen and X. J. Zhou and Zhijun Wang and Youguo Shi and Baojie Feng},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2010.14259},
year = {2020}
}