Summary
In fall 2020, researchers at the University of Rochester reported creating the first ever material that conducts electricity without resistance at room temperature. The material is known as a “hydride,” a combination of hydrogen with other elements, in this case sulfur and carbon. So far no other lab has replicated turning carbon sulfur hydride into a superconductor. But they’ve discovered numerous other superconducting hydrides along the way. These hydrides are revolutionizing superconductivity research, showing the phenomenon can exist at temperatures only dreamed of in the past. But hydrides only superconduct under intense pressures, when smashed together by the tips of two diamonds. Now, the race is on to find hydrides that superconduct at room temperature even when the pressure is turned off.
