Better superconductors with palladium

A Goldilocks material that might be just right: the precious metal palladium could be used to make superconductors that remain superconducting even at relatively high temperatures, show calculations by TU Wien. It is one of the most exciting races in modern physics: How can we produce the best superconductors that remain superconducting even at the highest possible temperatures and ambient pressure? In recent years, a new era of superconductivity has begun with the discovery of nickelates. These superconductors are based on nickel, which is why many scientists speak of the -nickel age of superconductivity research-. In many respects, nickelates are similar to cuprates, which are based on copper and were discovered in the 1980s. But now a new class of materials is coming into play: In a cooperation between TU Wien and universities in Japan, it was possible to simulate the behaviour of various materials more precisely on the computer than before. There is a "Goldilocks zone" in which superconductivity works particularly well. And this zone is reached neither with nickel nor with copper, but with palladium.