According to a new paper published in Nature, scientists may have found a way to make a more practical superconductor at room temperature. This is a bold claim, as the quest to create a superconductor that works under more practical conditions is extremely difficult.

Many materials can be superconducting, allowing electricity to flow without resistance. However, they often require cooling of materials to extremely low temperatures. In the past, scientists have been able to operate superconductors at room temperature, but they require unrealistically high pressures, making them very impractical.

If proven, the research presented in this new paper could completely change our understanding of these superconductors. Instead of requiring impractical high pressures, scientists will be able to use a room-temperature superconductor made of hydrogen mixed with nitrogen and a rare earth element, lutetium.

Researchers say a superconductor can lose all electrical resistance at temperatures up to 294 Kelvin (about 21 degrees Celsius, or 70 degrees Fahrenheit). However, this still requires 10 kilobars, which is about 10,000 times the pressure of the Earth’s atmosphere. However, these insane amounts of pressure are much lower than what is normally required for a room-temperature superconductor.

Therefore, the research here is extremely promising for researchers in this field. But these claims are subject to serious scrutiny, which prevented this conclusion from being reached, as researchers published a similar paper in 2022. Nature eventually retracted the paper, but it looks like researchers have found some of the evidence they need to publish a new report.

Previous claims have focused on the discovery of superconductivity in a compound composed of sulfur, carbon, and hydrogen. Researchers claim that this compound can achieve superconducting qualities at 15 degrees Celsius. It has received a lot of criticism for its claims, which is why so much attention is paid to the claims of this new room-temperature superconductor.

It also doesn’t help that the researchers were unable to reproduce their results in the first compound. Therefore, the interests of this discovery are very high – not only for the opportunity to make a breakthrough, but also for the general confidence of others in the work of the participants.

The ability to create a room-temperature superconductor could be groundbreaking. But researchers will have to work hard to prove the success they claim in the study. The discovery of better superconductors could help revolutionize many industries, including faster space travel. Source