The stakes are enormous: If superconductors worked at anything close to room temperature, it could lead to everything from levitating trains and improved MRI scanners to better energy storage devices and more efficient electronics in general. Perhaps because of that potential, the field has spawned a great deal of hype, often accompanied by disappointment.
In July 2023, scientists in South Korea claimed to have found a room-temperature superconductor that they named LK-99; however, other scientists failed to replicate the team’s results. Undark has also reported on an ongoing controversy surrounding the work of University of Rochester physicist Ranga Dias, three of whose papers have been retracted within the last two years — two in the journal Nature and one in Physical Review Letters. (Two of the three papers involved superconductivity. In August, the New York Times reported that Dias was under investigation by his university.)
Even so, excitement continues to surround materials known as superhydrides — hydrogen-rich materials that appear to allow for superconductivity at higher temperatures, albeit under tremendous pressure — which is why researchers like Eva Zurek, a computational materials scientist in the chemistry department at the University at Buffalo, continues to be fascinated by them.
Our interview was conducted over Zoom and email, and has been edited for length and clarity.
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