Despite their name, "high-temperature" superconductors require pretty darn cold conditions -- all far below freezing temperatures, some near absolute zero (-273 degrees Celsius) -- to operate without energy loss. As a result, they're not practical for everyday uses like more efficient power transmission -- that is, unless you have a stockpile of liquid helium or nitrogen dewars just hanging around your house.
So why can't we create room-temperature superconductors? That's a question that scientists are still trying to answer.
In research released today in the journal Nature, a team of U.S.…
Advertisment
