Access

News and Views

Nature 410, 23-24 (1 March 2001) | doi:10.1038/35065177

Open Innovation Challenges

naturejobs

Genie in a bottle

Robert J. Cava

Top

An overlooked compound has a surprise in store for physicists. It becomes superconducting at a much higher temperature than any other stable metallic compound.

The field of superconductivity has been rocked by a startling announcement. For fifteen years, researchers have been delving into the mysterious and complex world of high-temperature superconducting materials — virtually ignoring simple metallic compounds because they superconduct at very low temperatures.