A simple layer of hydrogen added to a specific iron based material can skyrocket the temperature at which it becomes a superconductor.
Most superconductors only work at temperatures near absolute zero, making them incredibly difficult and expensive to use in the real world. Introducing hydrogen into FeSe layers pushes the transition temperature above 40 Kelvin. This chemical modification reshapes the material's electronic surface and strengthens the internal bonds that allow electricity to flow without resistance. While 40 K is still cold, this jump represents a massive leap toward creating materials that work at room temperature. This discovery could eventually lead to ultra-efficient power grids and high-speed maglev trains that are cheap to operate.
Critical Role of Hydrogen in Unconventional Superconductors: The Case of Hydrogenated FeSe Layers
arXiv · 2604.25500
Hydrogenation is known to tune superconductivity in a wide range of materials. While its microscopic role has been clarified in phonon-mediated superconductors such as hydrogenated MgB2, LaH10, and H3S, much less is known for hydrogenated cuprates and iron-based superconductors, where even the underlying structural motifs remain elusive. Using hydrogenated FeSe as a prototypical example, we reveal how hydrogen affects superconductivity in the presence of strong electronic correlations: correlati