Today’s superconductors typically work only when cooled to incredibly low temperatures.Kiyoshi Takatani Segundo / Alamy Stock Photo
It may be unfair to call this the Philosopher’s Stone, but there is something fascinating about the search for room-temperature superconductors. This material can transmit electricity completely without resistance. By picking up renewable energy in places where it is abundant and delivering it efficiently to faraway cities, it could make a major contribution to solving the climate crisis.
It’s no wonder, then, that the world of physics went into a frenzy last year when not one but two such substances were allegedly discovered. In March 2023, researchers reported a substance known as the “red substance”, which is said to work at temperatures as high as 21°C (70°F), albeit under incredible pressure. A few weeks later, news broke about another substance called LK-99, which apparently works at both room temperature and ambient pressure. Unfortunately, all that glitters is not gold. Both claims are now widely rejected.
But the fuss surrounding these studies obscures a more nuanced and interesting truth. Extensive research in pursuit of practical superconductors is proceeding at a rapid pace, and there is a sense that the search is finally turning a corner. The past few years have seen breakthroughs beyond experimentation, and theorists have honed a wealth of methods for predicting the composition of new superconducting materials from scratch. “People my age will remember when it really was…