The discovery of new nickel-based superconductors is more than a lab curiosity; it represents a foundational advance in materials science that could accelerate the development of practical quantum systems and energy-efficient technologies, positioning China at the forefront of a critical global race.
A team of Chinese scientists has reported a significant advance in the quest for high-temperature superconductivity, successfully creating new nickel-based superconducting materials that operate under ambient pressure. Published in the journal Nature, the research was led by Xue Qikun’s team at the Southern University of Science and Technology, in collaboration with the University of Science and Technology of China. The work not only yields new materials but also provides crucial experimental insights into the elusive mechanisms behind high-temperature superconductivity—a state where electrical resistance vanishes, allowing current to flow without energy loss.
The core achievement lies in overcoming a longstanding barrier. Nickel-based materials are a promising third class of high-temperature superconductors, following copper- and iron-based systems. However, achieving the necessary high oxidation state for superconductivity while maintaining stable material growth had proven exceptionally difficult. The team circumvented this by developing a novel technique called strong oxidation atomic-layer epitaxy. This method allows for the precise, layer-by-layer assembly of atomic structures under extreme oxidation conditions, enabling the creation of high-quality nickel oxide films with tailored electronic properties.
Using this technique, the researchers engineered new artificial structures with specific atomic stacking sequences. They reported two new materials that exhibited superconductivity at 50 kelvin and 46 kelvin under ambient pressure. Furthermore, they boosted the superconducting transition temperature of a known bilayer nickel-based material from 45 kelvin to 63 kelvin. Beyond creating these materials, the team identified a distinct electronic band structure near the Fermi surface that is shared among the superconducting samples. This finding, achieved by combining atomic-level control with angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, offers tangible experimental evidence linking atomic structure to electronic properties and superconductivity itself.
The broader scientific community views comparative studies of nickel-, copper-, and iron-based superconductors as a potential key to solving the decades-old puzzle of high-temperature superconductivity. This Chinese-led breakthrough provides a new, controllable platform for such studies. The ability to design and assemble superconducting materials atom-by-layer opens a pathway not just for understanding, but for engineering next-generation materials with specific performance characteristics.
Why it matters:
For researchers and engineers working on quantum computing and ultra-efficient energy grids, high-temperature superconductors represent a holy grail. This advance provides a new, more tractable material family to explore, potentially accelerating the timeline for developing practical applications. For global technology investors and strategists, it underscores China’s deepening capability in foundational materials science, a discipline that underpains strategic competition in computing, energy, and advanced manufacturing.
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