Swedish scientists boost copper oxide superconductors' performance at higher temperatures
Scientists in Sweden have found a clever way to boost superconductor performance by tweaking the surface under copper oxide films.
Their method helps these materials work at higher temperatures and in stronger magnetic fields, which could mean less energy wasted in future electronics.
Substrate ridges raise Tc over 15°C
Instead of changing the superconductor itself, the team focused on its base layer. By creating tiny ridges and valleys on the surface, they made electrons flow better, raising the superconducting temperature by more than 15 degrees Celsius compared with usual methods.
While this isn't quite room temperature superconductivity yet, it's a promising step toward more efficient tech.
The researchers think that changing the environment around superconductors could be just as important as inventing new ones, but scaling up will take more research.