China Achieves Superconductivity Breakthrough at Ambient Pressure, Reshaping the Future of Energy and Quantum Tech
China's Breakthrough in High-Temperature Superconductivity: A Game-Changer for Quantum Materials
Superconductivity Revolution: China’s Leap Towards the Future
China’s scientific community has marked a major milestone in the field of superconductivity. A research team led by Xu Qi-Kun, President of Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech), in collaboration with the Quantum Science Center of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and Tsinghua University, has achieved a groundbreaking advancement in high-temperature superconductors. Their findings, published in Nature on February 17, confirm that nickel-based materials can achieve superconductivity at ambient pressure, making them the third class of materials—after copper- and iron-based superconductors—to break the 40K McMillan limit.
This discovery provides a new pathway for solving one of condensed matter physics’ most significant puzzles: the mechanism behind high-temperature superconductivity. The implications extend beyond academic curiosity, as the advancement could lead to revolutionary applications in energy transmission, medical imaging, and quantum computing.
How China Overcame the Pressure Barrier in Superconductivity
Superconductors, often compared to “zero-energy-loss highways” for electrical currents, have been a subject of extensive research since their discovery in 1911. Traditional superconductors were limited to ultra-low temperatures, with their highest transition temperature capped at 40K, a theoretical boundary known as the McMillan limit. Over the decades, researchers have sought materials capable of superconducting at higher temperatures, with copper- and iron-based compounds leading the charge.
Nickel-based superconductors emerged as a promising contender in 2019, when American scientists first observed superconductivity in nickel-based thin films. However, their transition temperatures were too low to be practically useful. The breakthrough came in 2023 when researchers at Sun Yat-sen University achieved superconductivity in nickel-based materials at liquid nitrogen temperatures—albeit under extreme pressure exceeding 100,000 times atmospheric pressure. While impressive, this reliance on high-pressure conditions limited its commercial feasibility.
The Chinese research team led by Xu Qi-Kun has now overcome this challenge, successfully inducing superconductivity in nickel oxide films at ambient pressure, with a transition temperature exceeding 40K. This was made possible through a novel synthesis technique known as highly oxidative atomic layer epitaxy, which enabled precise atomic control over the material’s structure. By engineering an atomically thin film and stabilizing it through interfacial engineering, the researchers managed to replicate the high-pressure conditions necessary for superconductivity without requiring an external high-pressure environment.
The team conducted extensive electromagnetic transport measurements to confirm the superconducting state, identifying both zero electrical resistance and the Meissner effect—key hallmarks of superconductivity. Their findings suggest that with further optimization, nickel-based superconductors could achieve even higher transition temperatures, potentially reaching the liquid nitrogen range (77K), a threshold that would drastically enhance their practical applications.
Global Superconductivity Race: Who Will Dominate the Next Tech Frontier?
The race to understand and harness high-temperature superconductors has long been a hotbed of international competition. Notably, researchers at Stanford University in the United States independently reported similar findings around the same time. The simultaneous discovery by both U.S. and Chinese teams underscores the intensity of global efforts to unlock the potential of nickel-based superconductors.
What distinguishes the Chinese team’s research is their complete reliance on domestically developed experimental instruments. By advancing their own high-oxidation epitaxy techniques, they have not only produced higher-quality thin films but also laid the groundwork for China’s long-term independence in superconducting materials research. This is a crucial strategic advantage, as superconductors hold the key to next-generation energy grids, ultra-fast computing, and advancements in quantum technology.
Beyond the Lab: How This Breakthrough Could Reshape Industries
1. The Power Grid Revolution: Zero Energy Loss is Within Reach
Superconductors have the potential to revolutionize energy transmission by eliminating electrical resistance. Currently, a significant portion of electricity is lost as heat during transmission. If superconductors with higher transition temperatures can be integrated into power grids, they could enable lossless energy transmission over vast distances, dramatically improving efficiency. Investors in smart grid technology, high-voltage direct current (HVDC) systems, and energy infrastructure should take note of this development.
2. Quantum Computing’s Next Leap: Cutting Costs & Boosting Scalability
Superconducting materials are fundamental to quantum computing, where they enable the creation of highly sensitive qubits. IBM, Google, and China’s Alibaba and Baidu are actively investing in superconducting quantum computers. A stable, high-temperature superconductor could reduce cooling costs and expand the scalability of quantum processors, making quantum computing more commercially viable.
3. Making Advanced Medical Imaging More Affordable
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines rely on superconducting magnets to generate powerful magnetic fields. Currently, these machines require expensive liquid helium cooling systems to maintain superconductivity. If nickel-based superconductors can achieve higher transition temperatures, MRI systems could become significantly more affordable, making advanced medical diagnostics accessible to smaller hospitals and even rural healthcare centers.
4. Superconductors & the Future of the Semiconductor Industry
China’s breakthrough could have profound implications for the semiconductor industry. Superconducting materials can be used in ultra-fast logic circuits and next-generation semiconductor devices. With tensions in global semiconductor supply chains, China’s success in this field strengthens its position in advanced materials science and could drive further investment in domestic chip manufacturing capabilities.
What’s Next? The Challenges and Future of Superconducting Tech
While this breakthrough is a major step forward, several challenges remain before practical applications become a reality. First, the transition temperature of 40K, while impressive, is still below the liquid nitrogen threshold (77K) required for widespread industrial use. Further research will be needed to push this limit higher. Additionally, scaling up the production of high-quality nickel-based superconductors will require new manufacturing techniques and cost-effective synthesis methods.
Nonetheless, the potential rewards are substantial. The ability to create superconductors at ambient pressure opens the door to new applications that were previously considered unfeasible due to the limitations of high-pressure synthesis. This work also provides a new experimental platform for investigating the fundamental mechanisms behind high-temperature superconductivity, an unsolved problem in condensed matter physics.
Is This the Dawn of a Superconducting Future?
China’s successful synthesis of ambient-pressure nickel-based superconductors represents more than just a scientific milestone—it marks the beginning of a new chapter in superconductivity research. The potential for lossless energy transmission, enhanced quantum computing, and cost-effective medical imaging underscores the far-reaching impact of this discovery. As competition intensifies on the global stage, the race for high-temperature superconductors will shape the future of energy, computing, and materials science.
For researchers, this is a pivotal moment in condensed matter physics. For investors, it is a rare opportunity to capitalize on a technological frontier that could redefine entire industries. The next few years will be critical in determining whether this breakthrough leads to practical, commercially viable applications—or if it remains an academic curiosity waiting for its next big leap.