Superconductivity is a phenomenon of zero electrical resistance and expulsion of magnetic flux fields occurring in certain materials when cooled below a characteristic critical temperature. It was discovered by Dutch physicist Heike Kamerlingh Onnes in 1911, who found that the resistivity of mercury dropped to zero at 4.2 Kelvin (-269°C).
Onnes’ discovery opened the door to many technological advances, most notably high-temperature superconductors (HTS), which can be used at much warmer temperatures than conventional superconductors. HTS were first discovered in 1986 by Georg Bednorz and Alex Müller, who were awarded the 1987 Nobel Prize in Physics for their achievement.
Today, superconductivity is an active area of research with potential applications in many areas including energy storage, transportation, medicine and computing.