From Insulator to Superconductor: A Series of Pressure-Driven Transitions in Quasi-One-Dimensional TiS3 Nanoribbons

Transition metal trichalcogenides (TMTCs) offer remarkable opportunities for tuning electronic states through modifications in chemical composition, temperature, and pressure. Despite considerable interest in TMTCs, there remain significant knowledge gaps concerning the evolution of their electronic properties under compression. In this study, we employ experimental and theoretical approaches to comprehensively explore the high-pressure behavior of the electronic properties of TiS₃, a quasi-one-dimensional (Q1D) semiconductor, across various temperature ranges. Through high-pressure electrical resistance and magnetic measurements at elevated pressures, we uncover a distinctive sequence of phase transitions within TiS₃, encompassing a transformation from an insulating state at ambient pressure to the emergence of an incipient superconducting state above 70 GPa. Our findings provide compelling evidence that superconductivity at low temperatures of ∼2.9 K is a fundamental characteristic of TiS₃, shedding new light on the intriguing high-pressure electronic properties of TiS₃ and underscoring the broader implications of our discoveries for TMTCs in general.