Elsevier, Journal of Alloys and Compounds, (613), p. 370-374
DOI: 10.1016/j.jallcom.2014.06.054
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The superconducting properties of LaPd2As2 with a collapsed tetragonal structure are reported. DC mag- netization and resistivity measurements reveal that the compound is a type-II bulk superconductor below 1 K. The electronic specific heat coefficient c is found to be 5.56 mJ mol1 K2. The specific heat change at the superconducting transition is 1.17, which is relatively low compared to the BCS weak cou- pling limit of 1.43. The density of states at the Fermi level calculated from electronic specific heat data is about 0.84 states/(eV f.u.), which may explain the low Tc of this material. These results, together with pre- vious work on A2+M2X2 compounds, imply that the superconducting transition temperature can be tai- lored by proper chemical substitution.