Scandium is the high-temperature record holder for a pure element superconducting
Phil Degginger / Alamy Stock Photo
The silvery metal scandium can be made into a superconductor without having to be mixed with other substances, and this occurs at higher temperatures than for any other element. The process still requires extreme cold and pressure, but the discovery could help us engineer more practical materials with zero electrical resistance.
Superconductors – materials that conduct electricity without the electrical resistance that leads to wasted energy – have been studied intensively for over a century because of their promise …