The new compounds of lanthanum and hydrogen are leading the way in superconductor research
Superconductors are characterized by the fact that they lose their electrical resistance below a certain temperature, the so-called transition temperature
In one fell swoop, many energy challenges would be solved, for example, the electricity generated by wind turbines on the coast could be diverted inland without losses
It would only be possible if there were materials with superconductivity at room and ambient temperatures.
An unusually high transition temperature of minus 23 degrees Celsius was measured in the year 2019. The pressure of the Earth's atmosphere is 1.7 million times higher
Lanthanum hydride was a compound of lanthanum and hydrogen atoms. They are interested in researching different compositions and structures of lanthanum hydrides
Other lanthanum hydrides formed under very high compression pressures, according to the measurement data from 2019
The two already-known compounds LaH10+ and LaH3 were produced in the high-pressure laboratory of the BGI, as well as the previously unknown lanthanum hydride
All of the compounds were formed from samples containing lanthanum and paraffin, which is a hydrogen-rich mixture of saturated hydrocarbons
In diamond anvil cells, the samples were subjected to very high pressures between 96 and 176 gigapascals and heated to over 2,200 degrees Celsius
it was identify the structures of new compounds of lanthanum and hydrogen and the German electron synchrotron
There is a framework of lanthanum atoms that can be linked to different numbers of hydrogen atoms. It is possible to arrange the hydrogen atoms in very different way
In hydrides that contain other metals from the rare earth group instead of lanthanum, there is a similar structural diversity that was shown by the scientists