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  • RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT

How to persuade a reluctant metal to take on a superpower

A lightning-fast burst of current prods an alloy into a superconducting state.
Kinetically-controlled superconducting material

Probes (smaller yellow patches) monitor the status of a metallic material (grey) as electrodes (larger yellow patches) deliver current to induce superconductivity. Credit: Hiroshi Oike

Exposure to extreme cold is enough to transform some materials into a superconducting state, in which they can carry electricity with no resistance. But scientists have long been frustrated by certain stubborn metals that instead react to cooling by entering a ‘competing state’: the metal’s electrons take on an energetically favourable arrangement that prevents superconductivity.

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Nature 562, 166 (2018)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-018-06964-3

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