Raising the superconducting Tc of gallium: In situ characterization of the transformation of α-Ga into β-Ga

Gallium (Ga) displays several metastable phases. Superconductivity is strongly enhanced in the metastable beta-Ga with a critical temperature T-c = 6.04(5) K, while stable alpha-Ga has a much lower T-c < 1.2 K. Here we use a membrane-based nanocalorimeter to initiate the transition from alpha-Ga to beta-Ga on demand, as well as study the specific heat of the two phases on one and the same sample. The in situ transformation is initiated by bringing the temperature to about 10 K above the melting temperature of alpha-Ga. After such treatment, the liquid supercools down to 232 K, where beta-Ga solidifies. We find that beta-Ga is a strong-coupling type-I superconductor with Delta(0)/k(B)T(c) = 2.00(5) and a Sommerfeld coefficient gamma(n) = 1.53(4) mJ/molK(2), 2.55 times higher than that in the alpha phase. The results allow a detailed comparison of fundamental thermodynamic properties between the two phases.