Scientists have created a mystery material that seems to conduct electricity without any resistance at temperatures of up to about 15 °C. That’s a new record for superconductivity, a phenomenon usually associated with very cold temperatures. The material itself is poorly understood, but it shows the potential of a class of superconductors discovered in 2015.
The superconductor has one serious limitation, however: it survives only under extremely high pressures, approaching those at the centre of Earth, meaning that it will not have any immediate practical applications. Still, physicists hope it could pave the way for the development of zero-resistance materials that can function at lower pressures.
It is conceivable that the gargantuan pressures generated in a diamond anvil required to produce superconductivity could eventually be scaled to work in a real world environment. But that's a long ways off. However, this is a monumentally significant first baby step. To read more, click here.