In a groundbreaking discovery, an international team of scientists has developed a superconductor that no longer needs to be cooled to transport electricity without resistance. Superconductors are materials or combinations of materials that can conduct electricity without any loss. However, until now, superconductors had to be cooled to extremely low temperatures for the effect of resistance-free electricity transport to occur. This process makes widespread use of superconductors economically unfeasible, and as a result, it has been limited to scientific research.
The team of scientists has manipulated atoms and discovered a new state of matter to create a superconductor that does not require cooling. This breakthrough could lead to the dream of many researchers: superconductivity at room temperature. The Jahn-Teller effect, which describes the distortion in the geometry of the ligand field of some octahedral complex compounds along a spatial axis, has made this new superconductor possible. The scientists have shown that superconductivity can arise in entirely different ways, as described in the journal Science Advances.
The scientists enriched spherical molecules of carbon atoms (fullerenes) with rubidium atoms, manipulating the rubidium atoms to change the substance’s state of matter. The new superconductor requires no cooling, and electricity can flow without loss at room temperature. This discovery could lead to the widespread and lossless transport of electricity across entire countries or continents. For example, the southern part of Germany could benefit from wind farms in the North and Baltic Seas. Currently, it is uneconomical to transport electricity over long distances due to high losses.
This breakthrough could revolutionize the energy industry and pave the way for a more sustainable future. The potential applications of this discovery are vast, and it could lead to significant advancements in fields such as transportation, medicine, and computing. The team’s discovery is a significant step towards achieving the goal of superconductivity at room temperature, and it could have a profound impact on the world.
