Widely used in magnetic resonance imaging equipment, cell phone towers and other applications, superconductors must be maintained under temperatures below -140° C. This thermal challenge to the broader deployment of superconductors may have been overcome with the discovery of a carbonaceous sulfur hydride material capable of superconductivity at room temperature.

The highest temperature for a superconducting material was reported in 2019 by researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, Germany, and the University of Illinois. Superconductivity at -23° C to -13° C using lanthanum superhydride was documented. This record has been bested by researchers from the University of Rochester, Intel Corporation and University of Nevada.Until now, extreme cold has been required to achieve superconductivity, as demonstrated in this photo, in which a magnet floats above a superconductor cooled with liquid nitrogen. Source: University of Rochester/J. Adam Fenster

The organic-derived carbonaceous sulfur hydride was synthesized in a high-pressure diamond anvil cell. Exposure to laser light triggered chemical reactions and crystal formation. Lowering the experimental temperature dropped resistance to a current passed through the material to zero, indicating that the sample had become superconductive. With an increase in pressure, this transition occurred at higher and higher temperatures, and superconductivity was demonstrated at 14.5° C and at pressures of around 39 million pounds/square inch.

Such material could lead to reduced transmission losses in power grids, more efficient electronics for digital logic and memory device technology and improved medical imaging systems. But first the researchers must address the high pressures needed to transform pure hydrogen into a metallic state.