“Our findings pave the way for comprehensive investigations of nickelate superconductors under ambient pressure conditions and for exploring superconductivity at higher transition temperature through strain engineering in heterostructures,” the researchers wrote in the study paper published in the journal Nature.
The superconductivity challenge
Superconductivity is when a material loses all electrical resistance and expels magnetic fields below a certain temperature.
It occurs when a material is cooled to a critical temperature. Traditionally, this required extremely low temperatures, making it impractical for many applications.
While many substances exhibit this behavior below -250 degrees Celsius, the real challenge lies in finding materials that can achieve superconductivity at higher temperatures. Those that can maintain this zero-resistance state above -233 degrees Celsius are classified as “high-temperature” superconductors.