In January, reseachers announced the superconductivity of buckyballs , soccer-ball shaped carbon molecules. Last year, they demonstrated the first electrically powered organic laser . They also have developed one of the first organic transistors and a special soluble material that will permit organic transistors to be printed as easily as books or newspapers. The need to cool the superconductors to frigid temperatures is an impediment to broader applications. Scientists are constantly searching for new materials capable of overcoming the cooling challenge.
Potential applications are closely related to the transition temperature.
Bell Labs scientists were able to overcome this by making a solution containing the plastic, polythiophene. They then deposited thin films of it onto an underlying layer so that the polymer molecules stacked up against one another like uncooked spaghetti. Instead of adding chemical impurities to change the material's electrical properties, as is often done, the researchers used a novel technique in which they removed electrons from polythiophene. The temperature below which polythiophene became superconducting was minus 455 degrees Fahrenheit. Although this is extremely cold, scientists are optimistic that they can raise the temperature in the future by altering the molecular structure of the polymer.