A Theoretical Investigation on the Physical Properties of SrPd2Sb2 Superconductor

The high temperature phase of SrPd2Sb2 polymorphs exhibits bulk superconductivity below 0.6 K. The electron phonon coupling constant and density of states are two major factors that control the superconductivity in this intermetallic compound. Here we report the detailed physical properties including structural, elastic, electronic, and optical properties of this superconducting phase by using DFT-based computational method. The calculated lattice parameters and density of states show good agreement with the experimental data. This intermetallic is ductile and comparatively soft with respect to other members of this family. This compound exhibits metallic conductivity mostly emerging from Pd and Sb atoms that is different from other similar type of superconducting materials. The strong covalent interactions in Sb-Sb and Sb-Pd bonds define the electronic characteristics of this superconducting material. The optical properties of this superconductor are fairly comparable with other similar compounds in this family.