Chinese scientists have reported a major breakthrough in nickel-based high-temperature superconductors, offering new insights into one of the most challenging problems in condensed matter physics, according to a study published in Nature on Wednesday.
The research, led by Xue Qikun’s team at the Southern University of Science and Technology, in collaboration with scientists from the University of Science and Technology of China, successfully created two new nickel-based superconducting materials under ambient pressure.
Superconductivity refers to a state in which electrical resistance drops to zero, allowing current to flow without energy loss. High-temperature superconductors, which operate at relatively higher temperatures, are considered key to future applications in energy transmission, precision sensing and quantum computing.
Nickel-based materials have emerged as a promising third class of high-temperature superconductors, following copper- and iron-based systems. However, progress in this field has been limited by a fundamental challenge: the high oxidation state required for superconductivity is difficult to achieve under conditions that also allow stable material growth.
To address this, the team developed a technique known as strong oxidation atomic-layer epitaxy, enabling precise control of material growth at the atomic scale under extreme oxidation conditions. This approach allows scientists to design and assemble atomic structures layer by layer, creating high-quality nickel oxide films with tailored properties.
Using this method, the researchers increased the superconducting transition temperature of a previously known bilayer nickel-based material from 45 kelvin to 63 kelvin. They also engineered new artificial structures by designing specific atomic stacking sequences, two of which exhibited superconductivity at 50 kelvin and 46 kelvin under ambient pressure.
I don’t know. I am not so sure that this is like the plantation owners morning their loss of influence in 1880.
With worldwide communications and billions of people not starving, we have many more available to create new stuff.
The USA is less than 5 percent of the world’s population. In a world where everyone was well educated and empowered, it would be reasonable to assume that the USA would produce 5 percent or less of the breakthroughs.
I talked to Claude about it. I was unable to nail down what exactly allows a society to invest in education and science. I found some correlation at 4000 dollars GDP per capita, but when tested against the German academic and scientific output it did not hold up. So, there is probably something more nuanced like the margin above subsistence or a certain rate of growth.
If they can get the superconducting temperature up a bit higher then it will be usable at liquid nitrogen temps (rather than having to use liquid helium).
I think we know the Chinese emperors have always hired educated officials. To be selected as an honor. Hence, a long term respect for education. And even now competition to get into the best schools and best jobs. Students routinely are tutored to improve their scores. And expect to work hard at their studies. Families will move so children can attend better schools.
Education is a well established part of the culture. Quite different from here where professions are avoided because they are considered hard.
I am not sure that it is all or even mostly cultural. Yes, the USA has some perverse incentives, but looking back at history there seem to be some times when advanced education and science seem to be produced by societies. I am not talking about rapid technological advances due to war, or major economic advances due novel business innovations (i.e. Banking system, Stock market) But just the growth of a university system and the things that grow up around it and grow from it.
Most of us on this site witnessed at least one of them. With the explosion of space-science (Sputnik, NASA) our already existing schools pivoted heavily towards STEM curricula, and that (helped) produce the technology revolution of the 70s, 80’s, which have continued through today.
The Space Race produced so many adjacent technologies, including chip design and microprocessors, GPS, digital imaging, even cordless tools.
Two other such leaps I know of were the “Common School” movement of the 19th century, which got all those 8 year olds out of factories and into school at all (promoted tax funded, non-religious schools which led to universal education), and the establishment of Land Grant Colleges, wherein the Federal Government gave land or monies to build colleges specializing in agriculture or mechanical instruction and turned out thousands of well educated citizenry (as opposed to the itinerant and ignorant (non-pejorative use there) farmers who lived their self-sufficient lives on the farms.
Other milestones I suppose would be Brown vs Board of Ed in the 1950s which alled minority students “equal access” to education (although it turned out to be more aspirational than real) and maybve the addition of high school to the general curricula (again, early 1900s) and the GI bill which put college within reach of so many following World War II.
The German, French, and English researcher adds most of their patent in those countries quite competitively compared to the US. Same with the Japense. Why would china and/or India have to hear a different story if those countries compete extremely well. It is not all or nothing. An innovation in China would be a concern versus Central Europe would not be of concern.