Superconductors that can operate under normal ambient temperature and pressure have long been considered the holy grail of physics, replete with promises of revolutionizing everything from electricity transmission and transportation to electronics and nuclear fusion, all due to the miracle material’s property of offering virtually no resistance to the passage of electric current.
A recent paper gave us some of the most tantalizing signs yet regarding the realization of this long-held dream. Given the fact that one of the core findings of the paper was recently verified, the study remains quite promising.
The Most Promising Paper Yet About Room-Temperature Superconductivity
Back in March 2023, a University of Rochester (UoR) team led by Ranga P. Dias reported evidence of superconductivity at 20.85 degree Celsius in a nitrogen-doped lutetium hydride compound. The only caveat: superconductivity in the study required a pressure of 10 kilobars or 9,900 atmospheres. Bear in mind that the team’s latest paper is a continuation of an earlier effort back in 2020, which was retracted due to issues with how the data for that study was processed and analyzed.
In May 2023, a team of physicists at Nanjing University tried but failed to replicate the results of the UoR study. While the Nanjing team was able to create a compound that resembled the one postulated in the UoR study, the material did not display any superconductivity, even at super-cold temperatures. Crucially, the Nanjing team did not outrightly reject the UoR study but pointed to the possibility of an insufficient quantity of the nitrogen dopant in their compound for the lack of superconductivity.
Then, in June 2023, a group of researchers at the University of Illinois created the next big ripple in this interesting saga. The team was able to verify the disappearance of electrical resistance in the compound identified in the UoR study, granting a huge boost to Dias’ efforts in the process. Do note that this phenomenon was observed at a temperature of 2.78 degree Celsius, a material deviation from the ambient temperature cited in the UoR study.
It remains to be seen whether the silvery-white rare earth metal lutetium turns out to be the holy grail for room-temperature superconductivity. Its prospects certainly appear brighter after the quasi-confirmation by the University of Illinois researchers.
So, how would a world dominated by room-temperature superconductors look like? Let’s find out.
Superconductors Can Change the World as We Know It
In India, with its creaking electrical infrastructure, electricity transmission losses are as high as 30 percent! In a world dominated by superconductors, such transmission losses would be non-existent, freeing up a lot of spare capacity that can then be idled to reduce carbon emissions from India’s fossil fuel-reliant power plants. Even in the US, electricity transmission losses can vary between 2 and 6 percent – a material figure when it comes to reducing the carbon footprint of our energy grid.
Of course, with superconductors freely available, Maglev (Magnetic Levitation) trains would become ubiquitous. These trains rely on two sets of electromagnets, where one set keeps the train afloat on designated tracks using the magnetic repulsive force while the other propels the train forward. Given the lack of contact between the train and the track, Maglevs are quite energy efficient. With the advent of room-temperature superconductors, however, the cost of operating such trains would fall drastically, given the lack of electricity losses within the electromagnets.
If superconductors become ubiquitous, everything from electric motors to everyday appliances would become a lot more energy efficient. In fact, room-temperature superconductors might well be a requirement for humanity as a whole to reach its zero-carbon targets.
One of the most defining implications of room-temperature superconductors would likely emerge in the field of nuclear fusion. If a huge amount of current can be passed through a given wire without resulting in waste heat from electrical resistance, extremely powerful electromagnets could be created at reasonable costs. These magnets could then be used to confine plasma into a minuscule space, providing the requisite impetus to jump-start a nuclear fusion reaction and the attendant promise of near-limitless energy.
Do you think room-temperature superconductors are about to become a reality? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
