The First Room Temperature Superconductor Is Here!

183

After more than a century of wait, the scientists have finally come up with a superconductor at room temperature. This discovery is a very significant one in science because it holds the power to change the entire future of transportation and electronics. By the help of this superconductor the current will flow without any energy loss taking place. Superconductors before this had to be cooled and therefor making their use non realistic in most case scenarios but this superconductor is the first of its type.

The material however functions at a fairly chill room that is a temperature below 15 degrees Celsius must be provided. This astonishing discovery was reported by Ranga Dias of the University of Rochester located in New York along with his colleagues. Another material chemist Russel Hemly who was not a part of the research exclaimed that the results were nothing short of beautiful.

However, this too has its limitations, that is, it only works at very extremely high pressures which questions its practicality. This superconductor was created by squeezing carbon, hydrogen and sulfur between diamonds and then the material was hit with laser light to form chemical reactions. A temperature of below 15 degrees was maintained alongside a pressure of 2.6 million times that of earth and it was noticed that the electrical resistance completely vanished.

Dias and his colleagues however were not convinced and therefore conducted the experiment multiple times and also studied the magnetic properties. In this field, it is also important to have a lower temperature since superconductors and magnetic fields usually clash, there were various proofs to show the superconducting qualities. The first superconductor was found in the year 1911 but could conduct the current only near the absolute zero (-273.15 degree Celsius) and we have come a long way.

Now the aim of the scientists is to create a room temperature super conductor that works without a squeeze. According to Somayazulu, a scientist that was involved in the research, “that is the next big step we have to do.”