New research shows naturally occurring mineral is an 'unconventional superconductor' when purified

The miassite used in Figure 1 of the Nature article used as a primary source.
The miassite used in Figure 1 of the Nature article used as a primary source. (Image credit: Nature.com)

In the everlasting search for economically viable superconductors, a variety of scientists and researchers have published findings on naturally occurring mineral miassite as an "unconventional superconductor." These findings ("Nodal superconductivity in miassite") were published for Open Access viewing on Nature.com and include contributors from a variety of US universities, as well as institutions in France and New Zealand.

Unlike semiconductors, which are still integral to the overwhelming majority of modern electronics, superconductors conduct electricity with 100% efficiency, not losing any power (typically released as heat) in the process. They can also create permanent magnetic fields. This makes viable superconductors a golden goose, should anyone ever actually achieve the seemingly impossible goal of finding or creating a material that behaves this way at or near typical room temperature.

Finding a superconductor in a naturally occurring mineral (with some caveats, of course) as detailed in this paper is a step in the right direction for this research. According to the paper, miassite functions as a superconductor at 5.4 degrees Kelvin, or -449 degrees Fahrenheit. So clearly there will still need to be some major temperature lowering involved.

Miassite is a mineral that can be both found in nature and synthesized in a lab. In its clean synthetic form, it is the only mineral so far that exhibits unconventional superconductivity. The form found in nature may be capable of this, but researchers note that it is unlikely because of "unavoidable impurities that quickly destroy nodal superconductivity."

Additional statements on the paper from Ames National Laboratory (which participated in the original paper) elaborate that "uncovering the mechanisms behind unconventional superconductivity is key to economically sound applications of superconductors." The full paper details how the research team evaluated miassite to come to the conclusion that it is, in fact, a viable superconductor. 

The reason it took so long for this discovery to come about is because of the aforementioned impurities that naturally occur in the mineral as it appears in nature. Near the end of the paper, the researchers note that "nature knows how to hide its secrets"— fortunately, lots of educated and talented humans enjoy uncovering those same secrets.

While sometimes-dubious claims like room-temperature superconductivity or field-tunable superconductors remain a hot-button point of debate, the discovery of a (mostly) naturally occurring superconductor offers a promising new angle for future superconductor advancements.

Christopher Harper
Contributing Writer

Christopher Harper has been a successful freelance tech writer specializing in PC hardware and gaming since 2015, and ghostwrote for various B2B clients in High School before that. Outside of work, Christopher is best known to friends and rivals as an active competitive player in various eSports (particularly fighting games and arena shooters) and a purveyor of music ranging from Jimi Hendrix to Killer Mike to the Sonic Adventure 2 soundtrack.

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  • Integr8d
    LK99 baby!!!
    Reply
  • jimbo007
    For the uninitiated, room-temperature (ambient pressure) superconductors (remember LK99, etc. , fantasy for now) as totally different than the so-called "unconventional" or "high-temperature" superconductors; The latter still acquire superconductivity way below zero (Celsius) but above boiling point of LN and are much economical to use. Also the mechanism of their superconductivity is not currently understood and totally different than the earlier class of superconductors the low-temperature(=near absolute zero) superconductors which were described by the BCS theory some 70 years ago.
    Reply
  • vanadiel007
    Oh another super conductor. Can't wait for the follow up articles.
    Reply
  • scottsoapbox
    jimbo007 said:
    For the uninitiated, room-temperature (ambient pressure) superconductors (remember LK99, etc. , fantasy for now) as totally different than the so-called "unconventional" or "high-temperature" superconductors; The latter still acquire superconductivity way below zero (Celsius) but above boiling point of LN and are much economical to use. Also the mechanism of their superconductivity is not currently understood and totally different than the earlier class of superconductors the low-temperature(=near absolute zero) superconductors which were described by the BCS theory some 70 years ago.
    If only the article's author had included some of these poignant details for the general reader.
    Reply
  • TJ Hooker
    jimbo007 said:
    For the uninitiated, room-temperature (ambient pressure) superconductors (remember LK99, etc. , fantasy for now) as totally different than the so-called "unconventional" or "high-temperature" superconductors; The latter still acquire superconductivity way below zero (Celsius) but above boiling point of LN and are much economical to use. Also the mechanism of their superconductivity is not currently understood and totally different than the earlier class of superconductors the low-temperature(=near absolute zero) superconductors which were described by the BCS theory some 70 years ago.
    The material in this article has a critical temperature of 5.4 K though. So while it is an unconventional superconductor, it is not a high temperature one.
    Reply