What if computers didn’t get hot and batteries never lost their battery life? What if you could help power your car with the heat of its engine? Conducting electricity from one point to another, and then putting it to good use, is one of the linchpins of our modern lives. The materials that make transporting and storing energy are called conductors, and their ability to conduct is a major hurtle in the quest for energy efficiency. The better your wires, circuit boards, and silicon conduct, the more bang you get for your buck. So no wonder when a breakthrough comes along, some of us get excited. This week, two breakthroughs have the potential to shake things up for the industry.

Resistivity is the word that describes how well (or poorly) a material conducts electricity. When it comes to conducting, the less resistance the better. When resistance does occur, normally the energy is wasted as heat. That’s why computers get hot and require fans: resistance of electricity through silicon. With less resistivity, or even no resistivity, electrons can travel farther, deliver more energy on arrival, and reduce the amount of electricity we need for any (every) given task. We’re talking energy efficiency on steroids. Now you know why when there’s been a breakthrough in conductor technology, it’s a big deal.

Superconductors have no resistance, which means electrons can travel through them almost forever. The uses for superconductor technology are futuristic and exciting, but superconductors require special circumstances to work. Extremely hot or cold temperatures, which require a lot of energy, were required… until recently.

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