A superconductor is a material that can conduct electricity or transport electrons from one atom to another with no resistance.
Research is underway to develop compounds that become superconductive at higher temperatures.
Currently, an excessive amount of energy must be used in the cooling process making superconductors inefficient and uneconomical. A type I superconductor consists of basic conductive elements that are used in everything from electrical wiring to computer microchips. Some type I superconductors require incredible amounts of pressure in order to reach the superconductive state. Roughly half of the elements in the periodic table are known to be superconductive. A type II superconductor is composed of metallic compounds such as copper or lead.