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Nature 412, 494-495 (2 August 2001) | doi:10.1038/35087696

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Superconductivity: Is kinky conventional?

Philip B. Allen

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An explanation for superconductivity in high-temperature, or 'unconventional', materials remains elusive. New experiments may indicate a surprising similarity to their low-temperature counterparts.

Copper oxides are still by a factor of three the highest-temperature superconductors around. Superconductivity requires the binding of electrons in pairs, but the binding force in these 'unconventional' materials remains unknown.