Chemists propose explanation for superconductivity at high temperatures
Thursday, December 15, 2011 - 08:31
in Physics & Chemistry
(PhysOrg.com) -- It has been 25 years since scientists discovered the first high-temperature superconductorscopper oxides, or cuprates, that conduct electricity without a shred of resistance at temperatures much higher than other superconducting metals. Yet no one has managed to explain why these cuprates are able to superconduct at all. Now, two Caltech chemists have developed a hypothesis to explain the strange behavior of these materials, while also pointing the way to a method for making even higher-temperature superconductors.