A groundbreaking international collaboration is using artificial intelligence and quantum geometry to unlock the secrets of superconductivity, paving the way for materials that could revolutionize energy transmission and computing efficiency.
Image Credit: Shutterstock AI
Rice University physicist Emilia Morosan is part of an international research collaboration that has been awarded multimillion-dollar funding from The Kavli Foundation to develop and test next-generation superconductors through artificial intelligence and quantum geometry. This global initiative, spearheaded by Päivi Törmä of Aalto University in Finland, seeks to push the boundaries of quantum materials science and superconductivity.
The project includes funding from the Klaus Tschira Foundation and philanthropist Kevin Wells, fueling this ambitious effort to achieve new breakthroughs in quantum geometry in 3D materials. The researchers aim to develop superconductors capable of functioning at unprecedentedly high temperatures while advancing our understanding of the role quantum geometry plays in material design.
Morosan's team at Rice, including graduate student Rose Albu Mustaf, research scientist Sanu Mishra, and postdoctoral student Sajilesh Kunhiparambath, will focus on synthesizing and characterizing new materials as part of the SuperC consortium, which is dedicated to achieving room-temperature superconductivity by 2033.
The promise of room-temperature superconductors
Superconductors hold the potential to revolutionize energy efficiency by transmitting electrical energy without resistance, minimizing energy loss. Current superconductors, however, require extreme cooling to temperatures between minus 150 C and minus 270 C, which offsets their energy efficiency benefits. Room-temperature superconductors could eliminate this hurdle, significantly enhancing energy efficiency in computing and beyond.
Superconductors work by forming Cooper pairs of electrons, enabling resistance-free current flow that contrasts with traditional conductors, where electrical resistance generates heat. Innovations in superconductivity could be transformative, especially as the energy demands of information and communication technologies continue to grow, contributing to global carbon dioxide emissions.
SuperC is addressing the challenge of advancing superconductivity through two groundbreaking approaches. The first, known as flat band superconductivity, involves investigating materials in which electrons are nearly immobile. This condition enhances electron pairing and can potentially increase superconducting temperatures—a phenomenon first observed in 2018 in twisted layers of graphene. The second approach employs AI-driven material discovery, using machine learning to analyze vast combinations of materials and efficiently predict those most likely to exhibit high-temperature superconductivity, streamlining the discovery process.
Morosan's expertise in quantum materials
Morosan's work on materials design, synthesis, and characterization is at the heart of this effort. Her research explores the interplay between crystal structure, magnetism, and superconductivity. Her lab employs advanced materials synthesis techniques such as crystal growth from molten fluxes, vapor transport, and solid-state reactions coupled with detailed structural and physical property measurements.
"The design of high-temperature superconductors has been slow, primarily due to the extreme conditions - for example, pressure - required to stabilize some of these candidate materials," said Morosan. "Using quantum geometry in 3D materials is a paradigm shift in the search for practical superconductors which not only have the high critical parameters - temperature, field, current - but also could be fashioned into wires or devices to enable applications."
Morosan added that magnetism and superconductivity were traditionally thought to be mutually exclusive. However, over the past 25 years, evidence has suggested that magnetic interactions could actually promote superconductivity, particularly in certain high-temperature superconductors containing copper or iron compounds.
"This research addresses three critical challenges in quantum geometry," said Jeff Miller, nanoscience program officer at The Kavli Foundation. "We need more theoretical work to guide quantum geometry research, continued experiments in 2D materials like graphene and the discovery and synthesis of 3D materials exhibiting quantum geometry effects."
Amy Bernard, vice president of science at The Kavli Foundation, emphasized the potential practical implications.
"The concept of quantum geometry could lead to significant advancements in superconductivity and other quantum effects," Bernard said. "This research could uncover materials that dramatically reduce energy consumption in computationally intensive processes, which have far-reaching implications for addressing sustainability in the long term."
The collaborative research team includes Milan Allan and Dmitri Efetov at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, München, Germany; Claudia Felser at Max Planck Institute for Chemical Physics of Solids, Dresden, Germany; Harold Hwang at Stanford University, USA; Miguel Marques at Ruhr University, Bochum, Germany, Emilia Morosan at Rice University, USA, Priscila Rosa at Los Alamos National Lab, USA, Päivi Törmä at Aalto University, Finland.