An anonymous reader writes: Superconductivity--the flow of electricity without resistance--would make all our electronic devices run at supercomputing speeds, but more importantly without creating all the heat they do today. Unfortunately, the only way to make superconducting electronics work today is to operate them at super-cold cryogenic temperatures. However, this story claims that Brookhaven National Labs has discovered the 'key' to room temperature superconductivity--which turns out to be similar to the key to liquid crystals that enabled the LCD industry to take off. Here is what EETimes says about it:
"The discovery of asymmetries in the formation of liquid crystals eventually led to their control. The result was the liquid-crystal display. Now, researchers at Brookhaven National Laboratory believe they have found similar asymmetries in the formation of superconductors, potentially leading to their control and subsequent room-temperature operation. At super low temperatures, many materials behave as superconductors, conducting electricity without resistance. As their temperature rises the unrestricted flow of electricity fades. Researchers at Brookhaven Labs (Upton, N.Y.) have cataloged asymmetries that simultaneously arise when superconductivity fades, potentially explaining the behavior in a way that engineers could harness to raise their temperature while maintaining superconducting property."
That sounds promising, and after decades of research its about time, but we've also been disappointed many times before. I'm not holding my breath, but I am crossing my fingers that Brookhaven has finally found the key to superconductivity.
