Scientists just shattered a 30-year record by making a material super-efficient at freezing temperatures without having to crush it under insane pressure.
March 16, 2026
Original Paper
Ambient-pressure 151-K superconductivity in HgBa2Ca2Cu3O8+δ via pressure quench
arXiv · 2603.12437
The Takeaway
High-temperature superconductivity usually requires crushing materials with the immense pressure of a diamond anvil. By using a new 'pressure quench' technique, researchers stabilized a material to conduct electricity with zero resistance at record-breaking temperatures while under normal atmospheric conditions.
From the abstract
Superconductivity has been a vigorously researched topic since its discovery in 1911. Raising the superconducting transition temperature (Tc) has been the main driving force behind such long-sustained efforts due to its potential for impacting humanity and the fundamental knowledge gained from understanding this macroscopic coherent quantum state at high temperatures. The successful development of high-Tc superconductivity will make possible extraordinarily efficient generation, delivery, and ut