GoKawiilSuperconductors have captivated scientists for more than a century. These materials have zero electrical resistance, meaning that no energy is lost to heating when they conduct a current. However, this state generally only emerges at temperatures well below room temperature. Therefore, raising the maximum temperature of superconductors has been a focus of the field since the effect was first observed. An important step came in 1986 when Georg Bednorz and Alexander Müller reported1 superconductivity at 35 kelvin (−238.15 °C) in Zeitschrift für Physik B — 50% higher than the previous record. Bednorz and Müller made their discovery in a type of copper-oxide compound called a cuprate. These materials ushered in the era of high-temperature superconductivity, and continue to confound scientists to this day.
Nature 654, 873-874 (2026)
doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-026-01801-4
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