Surprise Superconductor Created with Solvent: Electricity Without Resistance

Superconductivity occurs when matter is able to conduct electricity without any resistance. The rare physical state isn't easy to find, though; it's only seen in certain materials under specific low-temperature and high-pressure conditions. Now, scientists have found some unexpected superconductivity that could allow researchers to better understand the structural changes to create this rare phenomenon.

Scientists have tried to create superconductors at higher temperatures for the last two decades. Superconductors hold the promise of significant impact on electrical transmission, which would lead to increased energy efficiency. Superconducting magnets are actually some of the most powerful electromagnets known, used in MRI/NMR machines, mass spectrometers and the beam-steering magnets used in particle accelerators.

In order to study superconductivity, the researchers examined the solid form of the compound called carbon disulfide, CS2, which is sometimes used in liquid form as a chemical solvent or insecticide. They found that, surprisingly, disulfide enters a superconducting state at about -449 degrees Fahrenheit at pressures ranging from about 493,000 to about 1,698,000 times normal atmospheric pressures.

"What makes this discovery special is that it seems counter to the understanding of how superconductivity normally works," said Choong-Shik Yoo at Washington State University in a news release.

Usually, superconductivity is present in highly ordered molecular structures. In carbon disulfide, though, superconductivity instead arises from a highly disordered state. This rare phenomenon is made even stranger by the fact that it's preceded by a magnetically ordered state. This ordered states undergoes a structural change into a disorganized configuration when superconducting starts.

"These results show the interplay between superconductivity, magnetism and structural disorder," said Viktor Struzhkin, one of the researchers, in a news release. "We are already at work searching for other highly conducting states in similar molecular systems in close collaboration with Professor Choong-Shik Yoo's team."

The findings are crucial to better understand superconductivity, especially when it comes to seeing it occur in different materials. With a better understanding, researchers could potentially construct high-performance smart grids and power storage devices.