Scientists at the University of Houston just hit a new milestone in the world of physics. For over a century, researchers have been hunting for materials that can carry electricity with zero resistance, a phenomenon called superconductivity. However, most materials only do this at extreme, impractical freezing temperatures.

A team from the Texas Center for Superconductivity (TcSUH) has broken the world record. They’ve developed a material that works at 151 Kelvin (about minus 122 degrees Celsius) under normal, ambient pressure. While that still sounds freezing to us, in the science world, it’s a significant jump toward making this technology useful in our daily lives.

How Superconductivity Helps the Power Grid

Most of the electricity moving through our power grids today hits a “wall.” As it travels, it encounters resistance, which turns some of that energy into heat.

“Transmitting electricity in the grid loses about 8% of the electricity,” said Ching-Wu Chu, a physics professor and the paper’s senior author. “If we conserve that energy, that’s billions of dollars of savings and it also saves us lots of effort and reduces environmental impacts.”

If we can get superconductors to work at room temperature, we could change how we store energy, build faster electronics, and even improve medical imaging. The problem has always been that these materials usually need intense pressure or liquid nitrogen to function.

How They Did It

To hit this new record, the team used a trick called “pressure quenching.” It’s a process often used to make diamonds. First, they squeezed the material under intense pressure to boost its abilities. Then, they cooled it down and suddenly released that pressure. This essentially “locked” the superconducting properties in place, even after the pressure was gone.

“Other researchers have shown that reaching superconductivity at room temperature under pressure is achievable,” Chu said. “Our method shows that it is possible to retain that state without maintaining pressure.”

Researchers need about another 140 degrees Celsius before they hit room temperature. However, they remain optimistic.

“This finding has great potential,” Chu said. “We believe, with enough people working on it and given enough time, we should be able to realize the potential.”