Science fiction may become science fact
- The jury is still out, but scientists the world over, especially in China, are working on the holy grail of superconductivity, with an eye to making it possible at room temperature
It has been called the holy grail of superconductivity, reproducing the phenomenon at room temperature. A pair of university students claim to have achieved just that. Some scientists are excited, others more sceptical.
Extraordinary claims always require extraordinary proof. But there has already been a strong buzz in Chinese social media. Why the excitement?
To achieve superconductivity, you usually need a very cold environment, which is difficult and expensive to obtain. That is why superconductivity at room temperature is so desirable, in terms of cost-saving, energy efficiency and virtually unlimited applications.
It can make computer chips run faster, power grids save more energy, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as affordable as X-rays. In recent decades, researchers around the world have devoted significant efforts in the rapidly expanding field.
Given their global semiconductor businesses, South Korea and Japan have been at the forefront. But China has been closing the gap fast in recent years.
The field’s practicality especially appeals to China’s top policymakers, many of whom have engineering backgrounds. The latest news involves a student team from the Huazhong University of Science and Technology who synthesised a tiny crystal called LK-99 – only micrometres in diameter – under a microscope, and proceeded to demonstrate its antimagnetic, levitative properties.
Many mainland researchers are enthusiastic. Since the mid-1980s, it’s been known that it’s not necessary to achieve superconductivity at -269 degrees Celsius, which is just slightly above absolute zero; -238 degrees Celsius can do the trick.
Chinese scientists are among international groups that have achieved superconductivity at -218 degrees Celsius and then -69 degrees Celsius in the last two decades. The potentially huge benefits certainly warrant committed research and funding. Under its numerous research initiatives directed at a state level, China is in an excellent position to lead and benefit from this technology.
Its potential to disrupt and transform traditional economic and industrial sectors should not be underestimated. Such a revolution in the semiconductor industry may even redefine the tech war between the two superpowers. But the scientific jury is still out.
