Scientists Suggest the Higher Threshold for Room Temperature Superconductivity
One of the greatest materials science and physics advancements in recent years was room-temperature superconductivity. Superconductivity is an effect in which a material does not have any electrical resistance and repels magnetic fields. This ability would make a technological revolution, with electronics more efficient and also faster, magnetic levitation trains feasible, etc.
Superconductivity was only known to occur at very low cryogenic temperatures, mainly with liquid helium cooling. Then in 2020, scientists made history again when they achieved room-temperature superconductivity for the first time in a hydrogen sulfide compound doped with carbon (H3S) at very high pressure, about 267 gigapascals—about 2 million times higher than atmospheric pressure on Earth. The news was greeted with enthusiasm, but it also raised an important question: To what temperature can the superconductivity rise?
Only in recent times have scientists suggested there may be an upper limit on room-temperature superconductivity, based on experiment and theory prediction. Their estimate set that at between -70°C and -80°C. That’s still a long way from anyone‘s idea of “room temperature” for everyday uses (like 20-25°C), but it‘s a huge step towards the road of practicality. Achieving superconductivity at even just slightly above room temperature would have monumental implications for energy transmission, transport, and quantum computing.
The most challenging aspect of achieving higher temperatures is the physics of superconductivity itself. The most encouraging room-temperature superconductors developed to date exploit hydrogen-rich substances under extremely high pressures. High pressure packs the atoms into the shape in which the electron pairs, the Cooper pairs, on which superconductivity relies, can occur. But since it is a matter of high pressure, it is hard to find the desired superconductivity in a stable and practical material.
Theoretical models indicate that it might be feasible to discover superconductors at very slightly higher temperatures, but the materials to be used will probably need to incorporate heavier elements that can extend the boundaries of what is currently possible in practical use. Also, the exceedingly high pressures that these superconducting states require are not going to be feasible on a large scale without visionary breakthroughs in material science and engineering technology.
Despite such impediments, investigation into room-temperature superconductors continues a highest priority area of study. As understanding continues to advance and new materials continue to be identified, perhaps researchers will overcome the hurdles to stable high-temperature superconductors. For the time being, however, researchers indicate the barrier of room-temperature superconductivity just beyond reach but closer than ever before.
Short of researchers’ anticipation is room-temperature superconductivity, but physical and technological barriers need to be met. The threshold for room-temperature superconductivity should appear in the range of -70°C to -80°C, but technological improvements in material science can eventually enable even higher temperatures to be applicable, resulting in revolutionary technological advancements.
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https://interestingengineering.com/science/room-temperature-superconductor
https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/a64130484/superconductor-room-temperature/
https://www.techexplorist.com/room-temperature-superconductors/97766/
The Holy Grail of Physics: Superconductivity Without the Cold
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/03/250305134937.htm
