Metallic and superconducting gallane under high pressure

Using our newly developed particle swarm optimization algorithm on crystal structural prediction, we characterized the pressure-induced structural transition sequence of gallane (GaH₃). As has been observed in alane (AlH₃), enthalpy calculations reveal that the Pm3̄n structure of GaH₃ becomes stable above 160 GPa, below which it is unstable with respect to elemental decomposition. Interestingly, the Pm3̄n structure is metallic, and the application of the Allen-Dynes modified McMillan equation reveals a high superconducting transition temperature (Tc), which reaches 86 K at 160 GPa and increases with decreasing pressure (Tc $=$ 102 K at 120 GPa). Our band structure calculations demonstrate that GaH₃ within the Pm3̄n structure is a highly ionic solid, where the ionicity of H atoms plays an important role in the predicted high temperature superconductivity.