Physicists have discovered a new type of superconductivity in a well-known metal for the first time. Here's what we know about this groundbreaking finding.

Physicists have discovered that tungsten selenide (a compound of the metal tungsten and hydrogen selenide) behaves as a superconductor at extremely low temperatures. This finding could aid in the development of materials that act as superconductors at room temperature. The study has been published in the journal Nature, reports New Scientist.

Superconductivity is a property that allows certain materials to conduct electricity without resistance. Currently, it is known that some materials are superconductors only at very low temperatures and under high pressure. However, materials that can superconduct at room temperature and standard atmospheric pressure could revolutionize global energy systems, enabling the transmission of unlimited energy over vast distances.

As of now, such superconductors have yet to be discovered, and the fundamental physical mechanisms underlying them, known as unconventional superconductivity, remain a topic of debate.

Seven years ago, physicists unexpectedly found that when two sheets of graphene, a layer of carbon just one atom thick, are stacked and slightly twisted, they become superconductors. When a similar process was repeated with other materials to create what is known as a moiré pattern, unusual magnetism and electrical insulation were observed. However, superconductivity was not detected.

Now, physicists have identified an unusual form of superconductivity in a metallic material called tungsten selenide. This property emerged when two sheets of the material were cooled to nearly absolute zero and twisted, similar to the sheets of graphene.

According to the scientists, the experiment demonstrated that such superconductivity could be a common characteristic of materials with moiré patterns.

The authors of the study indicate that the discovery of superconductivity in a material other than graphene suggests the existence of an entirely new class of superconducting materials. It is essential to understand which properties of these materials lead to superconductivity, as this could facilitate the development of materials that are superconductors at room temperature.

Physicists are still uncertain about how tungsten selenide exhibits superconductivity, but there are hints that it may be related to the unique characteristics of the material's magnetic fields, arising from the interaction between the two twisted sheets.

This resembles a form of unconventional superconductivity that is believed to exist in more traditional materials, the scientists say.