In Search of the Superconductor Holy Grail

So-called superconductors already exist, however at the moment even the so-called ‘high temperature superconductors’ need to be cooled to temperatures far below zero degrees Celsius in order to work, severely limiting their use. 

The discovery of a superconducting material that is abundant in nature and could be used at higher temperatures cheaply and with relative ease ‘would really be the Holy Grail,’ Dr Sebastian said. ‘It would not just be an incremental advantage – it could lead to drastically different ways of sustainable living.’

If superconducting transmission cables became a reality, for example, more efficient transportation of power with no losses would help grids keep up with growing demand. 

It would also open up exciting possibilities for renewable energy producers seeking ways to bring together small amounts of power from multiple generation sites efficiently and cost-effectively.

Makers of electrical vehicles and wind turbines could start using light, gearless motors and generators as the conductors wouldn’t lose power.

150 degrees Celsius below zero

‘High-temperature’, or ‘unconventional’, superconductivity was discovered over 25 years ago, but the copper oxide-based materials in question, while working at a higher temperature than previously known superconductors, still need to be cooled to about 150 degrees Celsius below zero to function.

Dr Sebastian, who was awarded a five-year grant from the European Research Council for her research project SUPERCONDUCTINGMOTT, wants to find out what it is about copper oxide-based materials that causes them to work as superconductors, hoping it will shed some light on other materials that may work at higher temperatures.

Scientists already know that superconductors perform the way they do because electrons pair up and therefore avoid any resistance. ‘The big question is "what is the glue?",’ Dr Sebastian said.

In an attempt to reveal what it was that produced the right conditions for those electrons to pair up, she is applying strong magnetic fields to copper oxide-based superconductors to destroy their superconducting properties.

That would allow her to identify what it is that makes something superconductive, and start looking for the same characteristics in other materials to see if they are also superconductive. ‘There are multiple theories at the moment and no consensus. Often the proof of a theory is if it is predictive,’ Dr Sebastian said.

Once she discovers which characteristics give the material its superconducting properties – and what different superconductive materials have in common – then that will help her formulate a ‘roadmap’ for the discovery of other superconductor materials.

‘Most often superconductors are found accidentally, through a sort of serendipity. I am actively looking for new families of superconductors and a roadmap of guiding principles that shows what they have in common,’ Dr Sebastian said. -- Source and © European Union