One future application is likely to be in the area of quantum computers, says Ananth Dodabalapur, a Bell Labs scientist involved in the superconducting plastic project. Unlike conventional computers, a quantum computer will use a logical system that is based on zeros, ones or a combination of both. That is expected to result in much faster computational speeds than today's computers, which use a logic based on either zeros or ones but not both. One intriguing possibility is the combination of quantum information processing with polymers and conventional computing. The Bell Labs breakthrough is the result of a 20-year quest to find organic polymers that act as superconductors, says Dodabalapur.
Organic polymers are chemical molecules that contain a long string of carbon atoms.
Their biggest advantage over other superconducting materials is that they are much more flexible than brittle metals and ceramics and are easier to manufacture and far cheaper, says Greene. While researchers have long known about the ability of some organic polymers to conduct electricity, they have up to now been unable to create a superconductor with them, Greene says. The problem is due largely to the fact that polymers have a molecular structure that prevents the electronic interactions needed for superconductivity. 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. But it's going to be a long time before the plastic is going to be ready for prime time commercially, Greene says, because the temperature at which the polythiophene became superconducting was extremely cold, about 3 degrees Kelvin.