Ambient-Pressure Superconductivity Breaks 30-Year Temperature Barrier
Researchers from the University of Houston and Argonne National Laboratory achieved superconductivity at 151 kelvin (-190°F) under ordinary pressure by applying a brief high-pressure pulse to the cuprate Hg-1223 and then rapidly decompressing it while cold, trapping a metastable state with a higher Tc that persists after pressure is removed. This breaks the long-standing 133 K ambient-pressure record and suggests pressure may not be required to reach higher temperatures, enabling study with standard lab instruments and guiding future efforts toward room-temperature superconductivity.