Lanthanum decahydride is a polyhydride or superhydride compound of lanthanum and hydrogen (LaH10) that has shown evidence of being a high-temperature superconductor. It has a superconducting transition temperature TC around at a pressure of 150 gigapascals (GPa), and its synthesis required pressures above ~160 GPa.
Synopsis
The compound exhibits a Meissner effect below the superconducting transition temperature. A cubic form can be synthesized at , and a hexagonal crystal structure can be formed at room temperature.
The cubic form has each lanthanum atom surrounded by 32 hydrogen atoms, which form the vertices of an 18 faced shape called a chamfered cube.
A similar compound lanthanum boron octahydride was computationally predicted to be a superconductor at 126 K with a pressure of 50 GPa.