Absence of superconductivity in topological metal S c I n A u 2

Highlights: • High throughput calculations found that ScInAu2 has a topologically non-trivial band structure similar to that of beta-PdBi2. • We found that ScInAu2 is not superconducting above 2 K. • A previous report of superconductivity at 3 K in ScInAu2 can be attributed to elemental indium. The Heusler compound ${ScInAu}_2$ was previously reported to have a superconducting ground state with a critical temperature of 3.0K. Recent high throughput calculations have also predicted that the material harbors a topologically non-trivial band structure similar to that reported for $\beta$-${PdBi}_2$. In an effort to explore the interplay between the superconducting and topological properties properties, electrical resistance, magnetization, and x-ray diffraction measurements were performed on polycrystalline ${ScInAu}_2$. The data reveal that high-quality polycrystalline samples lack the superconducting transition present samples that have not been annealed. These results indicate the earlier reported superconductivity is non-intrinsic. Several compounds in the Au-In-Sc ternary phase space (${ScAu}_2$, ${ScIn}_3$, and ${Sc}_{2}InA{u}_2$) were explored in an attempt to identify the secondary phase responsible for the non-intrinsic superconductivity. The results suggest that elemental In is responsible for the reported superconductivity in ${ScInAu}_2$.