Nitrogen-doped lutetium hydride- Scientists have made an incredible discovery: superconductivity has been detected in a nitrogen-doped lutetium hydride. The material exhibits a maximum critical superconducting transition temperature of 294 K at 10 kbar, which is equivalent to room temperature and near ambient pressures. These findings have been published in prestigious scientific journal Nature.
Superconductivity, the property of certain materials to conduct electricity with zero resistance, has long been a subject of intense research. Unfortunately, due to their high pressures and temperatures required for operation, superconductors cannot be widely applied; cuprates have shown the highest critical superconducting transition temperatures at ambient pressures but even they fall short of room temperature.
Over the past decade, scientists have been investigating the potential of high-pressure “chemical precompression” of hydrogen-dominant alloys to achieve high-temperature superconductivity. Ternary hydrogen-rich compounds such as carbonaceous sulfur hydride have also been examined.
Recently, a research team has successfully synthesized nitrogen-doped lutetium hydride under extreme temperatures and pressures. They observed superconductivity with an ultimate critical superconducting transition temperature of 294 K at 10 kbar – close to room temperature and near ambient pressures.
To verify superconductivity, the team conducted a variety of tests. These included temperature-dependent resistance with and without an applied magnetic field, magnetization versus magnetic field curve, as well as alternating current (A.C.) magnetic susceptibility measurements. Furthermore, heat capacity measurements were made.
Further experiments and simulations are necessary to precisely determine the stoichiometry of hydrogen and nitrogen, as well as their respective atomistic positions in lutetium hydride. Nonetheless, this discovery marks a major development in our quest for superconductivity at ambient pressure and temperature conditions.
This discovery has immense ramifications, as superconductivity holds immense promise in applications such as energy storage and transmission, medical imaging, and transportation. The team’s findings offer a new direction for further investigation into superconductivity’s capabilities.
Superconductivity has been discovered in a nitrogen-doped lutetium hydride, representing an important advance in materials science. This discovery offers new opportunities for creating materials that can conduct electricity with zero resistance at near ambient pressure and temperature conditions – potentially revolutionizing industries such as energy, medicine, and transportation by creating more efficient and effective systems.
The research team’s discoveries could also lead to the creation of materials with higher critical superconducting transition temperatures. This is possible through various doping techniques or by altering lutetium hydride’s chemical composition. If further study in this area takes place, it could have significant ramifications for technology’s future; providing a path towards sustainable and efficient systems that benefit society as a whole.
Source- Dasenbrock-Gammon, N., Snider, E., McBride, R. et al. Evidence of near-ambient superconductivity in a N-doped lutetium hydride. Nature 615, 244–250 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-023-05742-0
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