Superconductivity – The Conversation

Helium lifts balloons and makes our voices squeak. But its supply on Earth is finite and is critical for modern industrial processes and medical imaging in hospitals. How worried should we be?

How was superconductivity discovered? It all began in April 1911, in a Dutch laboratory…

Generating energy usually means wasted heat. Semiconductors let the electrons flow with zero waste – but so far scientists only know how to get them to work at ultra-low temperatures.

Claims about the discovery of a coveted room-temperature superconductor peppered the news in 2023. We pulled three stories from our archives on what superconductivity is and why scientists study it.

Layering substances like graphene in new ways could help us to build quantum computers or transmit electricity over long distances.

Superconductivity may sound like science fiction, but the first experiments to achieve it were conducted over a century ago. Heike Kamerlingh Onnes, credited with the discovery, won a Nobel Prize in 1913.

Physicists have for decades tried and failed to make superconductors that work at room temperature. But we’re finally getting closer.

A potential new supermaterial isn’t so super after all, but the dream of a room-temperature superconductor is still very much alive.

Superconductors are materials that can transmit electricity without any resistance. Researchers are getting closer to creating superconducting materials that can function in everyday life.

As we modernise Australia’s power grid, we should look to superconducting cables to save energy, cut emissions and future-proof the system

Discovering new materials could drive forward areas such as green technology and advanced electronics.

Superconductors make highly efficient electronics, but the ultralow temperatures and ultrahigh pressures make them costly and difficult to use. Room-temperature superconductors promise to change that.

Room-temperature superconductors could transform technology – but the latest, much-hyped claims should be approached with caution.

After decades of hype, quantum computers are on the verge of becoming useful. Here’s a refresher on why they’re such a big deal

With the fourth significant shortage of helium in a decade continuing, companies and researchers are looking for alternative sources.

Just what is a superconductor? And what can it be used for? Research using superconductors at higher temperatures opens up more possibilities for this fascinating class of materials.