Excitement is on the rise around the possibility of a room-temperature superconductor that could revolutionise the world of engineering, physics, and energy.
Two new papers published last week have indicated the possibility of a room-temperature superconductor. molecular sieve 13X HP
But first, what really is a superconductor?
Superconductors are a class of materials that exhibit near-zero electrical resistance and expel magnetic fields while allowing electric charges (usually electrons) to move freely through them.
Discovered over a century ago, superconductors are a critical component of modern-day transportation systems, medicine, energy transmission, and scientific research.Also Read Here's what Chandrayaan-3 will do once it lands on Moon
However, there is a glitch. When it comes to conventional conductors that we use today, like copper and aluminum, the flow of electric current encounters resistance, leading to energy loss in the form of heat. That's where the discovery of superconductivity changed everything. The power transmission sector could be the biggest beneficiary of this new finding. (Photo: Getty)
To explain this, let's use the analogy of a highway. If cars were electrons (the tiny particles that carry electricity) and the highway was a normal wire, there would be a lot of traffic, and cars would collide and create traffic jams. This is similar to the resistance experienced by electricity as it travels through a normal wire. The energy from these collisions and jams turns into heat, which is why wires get hot when you pass a lot of electricity through them.
Now, imagine a magical highway where cars (or our electrons) could zoom along without ever colliding or slowing down. This is similar to what happens in a superconductor. There is no resistance to slow down the flow of electricity, so no energy is lost as heat.Also Read SpaceX to launch Crew-7 with four astronauts to Space Station
In superconductors, a quantum phenomenon causes electrons to pair up allowing them to move through the structure of the material with remarkable ease and near-zero electrical resistance and no loss of energy.
But that happens only at very low temperatures, typically near absolute zero or minus 273.15 degrees Celsius, and extremely high pressure.
To achieve these conditions, you require costly and complex cooling systems like liquid helium for superconductivity to happen. This limitation has restricted their widespread practical applications. The new discovery is therefore exciting. Superconductors are a critical component of modern-day transportation systems. (Photo: Getty) What have they found?
The two new papers uploaded to the arXiv preprint server, by researchers from South Korea, state the creation of a material known as LK-99 that can conduct superconductivity at room temperatures.
The lead-based compound, which could conduct electricity without any resistance under normal conditions, could have long-term advantages. Also Read Nasa conducts maiden recovery test ahead of Artemis-II mission to moon
A room-temperature superconductor would exhibit superconducting properties at temperatures that are easily attainable and sustainable with conventional cooling methods. This could lead to transformative advancements in various industries at low costs.
"For the first time in the world, we succeeded in synthesising the room-temperature superconductor working at ambient pressure with a modified lead-apatite (LK-99) structure. The superconductivity of LK-99 is proved with the critical temperature, zero-resistivity, critical current, and critical magnetic field," the researchers wrote on the preprint server.Caution ahead
According to South Korean researchers, LK-99, the new superconductor, can be synthesised through a baking process that involves combining the minerals lanarkite (Pb2SO₅) and copper phosphide (Cu₃P).
The resulting material exhibits two essential characteristics of superconductivity even at normal air pressure and temperatures as high as 127 degrees Celsius: zero resistance to electric current and the ability to levitate in the presence of magnetic fields. The papers indicate the possibility of a room-temperature superconductor. (Photo: Getty)
While the researchers have put forward a plausible theory explaining how LK-99 could achieve room-temperature superconductivity, they have not yet provided definitive experimental evidence to support their claims.
Experts have said that while the finding is exciting, the data presented in their research papers appears inconclusive and requires further validation and scrutiny.
Ceramic Honeycomb Catalytic Converter However, if it is experimentally proved, it would be game-changing for the energy sector, which will see a new world with near-zero loss of energy in power transmissions. Published By: Sibu Kumar TripathiPublished On: Aug 2, 2023