Room Temp Super Conductor: Break Out the Champagne?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the recent developments in room temperature superconductors, particularly focusing on the implications of high-pressure superconductivity and the potential for achieving higher critical temperatures through chemical modifications. Participants explore the significance of these findings and their technical challenges.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants express uncertainty about the significance of the findings, questioning whether the technical challenges, such as the requirement for very high pressure, diminish the impact.
  • Others compare the current work to previous silver superconductors, suggesting that it represents an incremental advancement in the field.
  • A participant notes that certain substances have been known to superconduct only under high pressure and discusses the chemical processes involved in modifying existing superconductors to enhance their properties.
  • There is mention of ongoing research aimed at increasing critical temperatures by adding hydrogen to various alloys, with some experimental evidence supporting this approach even at atmospheric pressure.
  • One participant raises a question about the size of ions involved in the substitution process, specifically regarding the relative sizes of Lanthanum and Yttrium, and references larger cations that have been discussed in recent literature.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on the significance of the findings, with some viewing it as a major breakthrough while others remain skeptical about the practical implications due to the high-pressure requirements. Multiple competing views on the potential for room temperature superconductivity persist.

Contextual Notes

Limitations include the dependence on high-pressure conditions and the need for further exploration of chemical modifications to achieve desired superconducting properties. The discussion reflects a variety of assumptions about the materials and processes involved.

Who May Find This Useful

Researchers and enthusiasts in the fields of superconductivity, materials science, and condensed matter physics may find this discussion relevant, particularly those interested in the latest advancements and ongoing challenges in achieving room temperature superconductivity.

hutchphd
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TL;DR
Here we report superconductivity in a photochemically transformed carbonaceous sulfur hydride system, starting from elemental precursors, with a maximum superconducting transition temperature of 287.7 ± 1.2 kelvin (about 15 degrees Celsius) achieved at 267 ± 10 gigapascals.
Summary is from abstract in Nature.
Anybody know whether this is a big deal ?. It looks technically challenging (very high pressure) but great oaks from little acorns. I'm not current in superconductivity.🔎...
 
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This looks better than the silver superconductors of past years.

It has been known for a long time that there exist substances that superconduct only at high pressure. Some superconductors, like YBCO, were discovered by taking an existing superconductor and doing a substitution that squeezes the structure: for example, Y for La in LBCO. Essentially, this is pressure induced by chemical processes.

This work moves the bar incrementally from LaH10, at 250C and 170 GPa.
 
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@ZapperZ knows much more about superconductivity than I do. Maybe he can jump in.

This is H2S-based and H2S is just weird.
 
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My thesis supervisor says it is a big deal. From what I understood recently people are trying to increase the critical temperature by adding hydrogen to various type of alloys (and it was experimentally confirmed that even at 1 atm, you can increase ##T_c## of some materials by adding H). So this gives hope to achieve higher temperatures (while working at lower pressure) by just doping the right material with hydrogen. This is what I understood.
 
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Vanadium 50 said:
This looks better than the silver superconductors of past years.

It has been known for a long time that there exist substances that superconduct only at high pressure. Some superconductors, like YBCO, were discovered by taking an existing superconductor and doing a substitution that squeezes the structure: for example, Y for La in LBCO. Essentially, this is pressure induced by chemical processes.

This work moves the bar incrementally from LaH10, at 250C and 170 GPa.
"Squeeze the structure"; isn't Lanthanum a bigger ion than Yttrium? And even larger cations like Bismuth and Lead have been in recent Lit.
 

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