Hope springs eternal. For decades, there have been claims that researchers have created room-temperature superconductors. The materials promise to conduct an electric current with zero resistance while throwing off powerful magnetic fields. They’re a Holy Grail of materials science.
Last week, a team from South Korea claimed to have created one — and not just a material that superconducts at ambient temperature, but one that does so at ambient pressure, too. Oh, and it’s made of relatively common materials, including lead, phosphorus and copper. The researchers published their findings on a preprint server. While not the gold standard in scientific publishing, it’s a decent first step that allows other experts to vet the claims.
It’s still too early to tell whether their extraordinary claims will hold up, but some preliminary theoretical work suggests that they’re not out of the realm of possibility. Still, many researchers remain skeptical.
But what if the claims were true? Myriad industries would be ripe for upheaval. Here are a few that would stand to gain the most.
Fusion power
If scientists really have discovered a room-temperature superconductor, then last year’s surprise darling technology would be again catapulted into the headlines. The problem with fusion power hasn’t been whether it can be done, but whether it produces more power than the required equipment consumes. The National Ignition Facility’s experiment last winter proved that net-positive fusion power was more than just theoretically possible.
Many approaches to fusion power rely on incredibly powerful magnets to corral intensely hot plasma to the point where its particles fuse and release tremendous amounts of power. Today’s reactor designs rely on high-temperature superconductors, which means they only need to be cooled by liquid nitrogen instead of liquid helium. But refrigerating them to that point still requires sophisticated equipment and massive amounts of electricity.
If the need for refrigeration could be eliminated, fusion power plants could be less expensive to build and operate, lowering the barrier for net-positive fusion power. Investor interest, which is already relatively high, would skyrocket.
Electric grid
Transmitting and distributing electricity in the U.S. is pretty efficient, but losses still amount to around 5% of all electricity generated, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Elsewhere, the situation is worse, as high as 19% in India, for example. Worldwide, transmission and distribution losses result in about 1 billion metric tons of carbon pollution.
Room-temperature superconductors would drive an almost complete overhaul of the grid. Transmission losses would be eliminated since superconductors have zero resistance to electricity. Cables could be significantly smaller while carrying the same amount of power, reducing the need for massive towers and wide easements. Voltages could be lower, which would allow transformers to be significantly smaller.
The idea of using superconductors in the electrical grid has been around for a while. American Superconductor, for example, was founded in 1987 for that very application. The problem is, today’s high-temperature superconductors still require refrigeration, offsetting some of the gains in efficiency. Room-temperature superconductors would have no such downsides.
Electric vehicles
Electric vehicles are already vastly more efficient than their fossil fuel counterparts. From grid-to-wheels, EVs convert about 77% of power from the grid to motive force at the wheels. Fossil fuel vehicles are only 12% to 30% efficient by comparison, according to the EPA.
Still, there’s room for improvement in EVs. Room-temp superconductors would make the inner workings of an EV smaller and more efficient. Motors would need less windings, reducing their overall size and weight in addition to eliminating losses to electrical resistance. Same with inverters and converters, which handle DC/AC and voltage conversions. Reduced mass and greater efficiency allows automakers to either offer more range or use smaller batteries, reducing costs.
Mass transit and rail
EVs might seem passé compared with what room-temp superconductors could enable with magnetic levitation trains. Maglevs hover above the track, both suspended and propelled by magnets onboard the train and embedded in the track. As a result, the only friction they encounter is from the air, allowing them to reach incredibly high speeds.
Room-temp superconductors could reduce the size and electricity requirements of the electromagnets that maglevs need, but it wouldn’t solve all of the problems maglevs face. Compared with other trains that run on steel rails, maglev track costs significantly more. And like other train lines, securing right of way is among the most challenging issues. Still, maglev lines that are cheaper to build and operate could replace a significant amount of short- and medium-haul air travel, significantly reducing overall carbon emissions.
Medicine
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines today rely on superconductors cooled by liquid helium. The world is running short of the noble gas, and doctors are concerned about what it means for the future of the technology in the medical world. In the near term, MRI machines could be more expensive to operate. In the long-term, an intractable shortage could spell the end of today’s devices.
Because they work at ambient temperatures, room-temp superconductors would eliminate MRIs’ dependence on liquid helium. Not only would that help secure the technology’s future as a relatively routine medical diagnostic, but it would also help lower its cost.
Recyclers
If room-temp superconductors were to become a reality — and if we were able to make them cheaply and at scale — it would spur a massive wave of investment. Thousands of miles of old electrical lines would be ripped out, and equipment both new and old would be destined for the junk heap. Not all of that equipment or the materials contained therein would be worthless, so it’s likely that recyclers would step in to process the stuff made redundant by the new materials.
Still a ways off
This isn’t the first time someone has claimed to have made a room-temp superconductor, and if this one doesn’t pan out, it probably won’t be the last.
The field seems to attract scientists with spotty records. In March, a physicist at the University of Rochester, Ranga Dias, made a splash with claims of a room-temperature superconducting material, though it had to be under enormous pressure. The results were published in Nature, a high-profile scientific journal, but other scientists are already casting doubt on them. Dias’s previous research has been met with similar scrutiny, with some scientists claiming he plagiarized others’ work. A TechCrunch+ investigation earlier this year shows that he took a similarly fast and loose approach to fundraising.
That’s not to say these latest findings are similarly suspect. But because of the field’s history, the burden of proof is particularly high. Still, if they can surmount that, their discovery could radically reshape wide swaths of our economy.
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