Solving the mystery of high-temperature superconductors

As a Wallenberg Scholar, Floriana Lombardi wants to use modern nanofabrication techniques inspired by the novel physics of 2D materials to solve the mystery of high-temperature conductors based on copper oxide.

The hope is to be able to manufacture materials that are superconducting even at room temperature, and thus pave the way for significantly more energy-efficient techniques for a green transition.

A mysterious exception in the world of superconductors is copper oxide material that conducts electricity with zero resistance at temperatures well above that of normal superconductors. If it can be made to work at sufficiently high temperatures, the superconductor can enable, for example, efficient transport of renewable energy over large distances and thus gain enormous importance for a green transition.

Floriana Lombardi, Professor of quantum materials and nanodevices at Chalmers University of Technology, wants to explore new approaches to understanding the mechanisms of high-temperature superconductors based on copper oxide. In her research, she will use the latest techniques for two-dimensional materials to explore and manipulate the many layers that this type of high-temperature superconductor is made up of - hoping to gain ground-breaking insights in the field.

“New breakthroughs in condensed matter have been achieved by studying Moiré physics in 2D materials. I intend to take inspiration from these results and apply the same principles to high-temperature superconductors.  The idea is to generate new physical phenomena and states of matter,  which can potentially shed light on the elusive mechanism behind superconductivity at high temperatures. I am confident that this research can pave the way for a higher superconducting transition temperature closer to room temperature,” says Floriana Lombardi.