Intrinsic phonon-mediated superconductivity in graphene-like BSi lattice

The research of new superconductors is an ongoing field for the fundamental significances and potential applications, and two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials open a new alluring branch for exploration. Here we predict by first-principles calculations that 2D pristine graphene-like BSi monolayer is a phonon-mediated superconductor above the boiling point of liquid helium. The intrinsic covalent-metallic ground state, large density of states at Fermi energy, proper electronic organization as well as strong coupling of out-of-plane phonons and electrons endow an intermediate electron-phonon coupling of ~1.12, rendering this honeycomb sheet as a conventional superconductor with a relatively high T c ~ 11 K. As the global minimum structure in the 2D space previously predicted, this superconducting BSi monolayer may be feasible experimentally. Our finding provides a new field of superconducting nanomaterials for study.