Analysis of Prospective Elements and Crystal Lattice Structures via Computer Algorithms to Identify Standard Temperature Pressure (STP) Superconductors

TL;DR

This paper proposes a computer algorithm to efficiently identify potential room temperature, ambient pressure superconductors by analyzing crystal structures and element combinations, aiming to find materials that operate under standard conditions.

Contribution

It introduces a novel computational approach to narrow down candidate materials for STP superconductors by testing various crystal structures and element combinations.

Findings

Identified elemental superconductors with high critical temperatures at standard pressure.

Proposed a method to find metastable superconducting states in element combinations.

Reduced the experimental search space for STP superconductors.

Abstract

Superconductors have the potential to revolutionize technology due to their ability to have zero electrical resistance. However, superconductor materials require either low temperatures or high pressures to function in a superconductive state. Thus, researchers are now on the search for the first-ever room temperature, ambient pressure superconductor. Yet, recent discoveries have only shown superconductors that work at low temperatures with ambient pressure or room temperature with high pressures. The region between these two extremes has not been identified due to the number of variables that affect superconductivity. To reduce the number of permutations that need to be tested to identify the first STP superconductor I propose the use of a computer algorithm designed to test various crystal structures of superconducting materials and combinations of elements that will have zero electrical resistance and exhibit the Meisner effect. Some elemental superconductors that have the highest critical temperature at standard pressure are V, Zr, La, Hf, Re, Th, Pa, U, and Am. The elements once combined with other elements in the right crystalline structure can produce a metastable state where the superconductors will keep their physical characteristics once they form.