Hard Superconducting Nitrides

by Xiao-Jia Chen et al. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 1 Mar 2005 Detailed study of the equation of state, elasticity, and hardness of selected superconducting transition-metal nitrides reveals interesting correlations among their physical properties. Theoretical calculations for NbN show that all elastic moduli increase monotonically with increasing pressure. These results suggest technological applications of such materials in extreme environments. Read the article