Superconductivity in Molecular Crystals and Organic Compounds

Superconductivity in molecular crystals and organic compounds encompasses the study of electron pairing and zero-resistance transport within carbon-based and metal-doped frameworks. Early discoveries in alkali-doped aromatic hydrocarbons demonstrated that simple π-conjugated molecules can enter a superconducting phase with transition temperatures (Tc) in the low-to-mid Kelvin range. Advances in synthetic chemistry and high-pressure techniques have broadened the scope to include dendrimer-supported aromatic polymers, layered organometallic frameworks and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons doped with rare earth or alkali metals. This field unites elements of molecular orbital engineering, charge-transfer chemistry and condensed matter physics to achieve coherent electron transport in soft materials. Practical applications under consideration range from flexible superconducting wires and magnetic shielding to components in quantum information processing. Key challenges include controlling doping homogeneity, stabilising metastable phases and raising Tc towards liquid-nitrogen temperatures. By exploiting interconnections between molecular design, crystallographic structure and external stimuli such as pressure or electrochemical gating, researchers aim to tailor superconducting properties and develop scalable routes to organic superconductors.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Recent studies report the synthesis of bare aromatic polymers facilitated by dendrimer supports, yielding high-purity π-conjugated backbones with enhanced processability. Detailed structural and spectroscopic analysis reveals these polymers can be transferred onto diverse substrates, opening pathways to hybrid architectures for organic electron transport and prospective superconductivity investigations. Complementary high-pressure investigations of triphenylene crystals combine Raman scattering, synchrotron X-ray diffraction and ab initio calculations to map the evolution of molecular packing and band gap under compression. These results show a continuous narrowing of the band gap and a predicted metallic state above 180 GPa, suggesting that organic molecular crystals may host superconductivity under extreme conditions.

Superconductivity in Molecular Crystals and Organic Compounds publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in superconductivity in molecular crystals and organic compounds across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Cooper pair: A bound state of two electrons with opposite spin and momentum responsible for superconductivity.

Transition temperature (Tc): The temperature below which a material enters the superconducting state.

π-conjugation: Delocalisation of electrons across adjacent p-orbitals in a molecular backbone.

Intercalation: Insertion of guest atoms or molecules between host crystal layers.

Fermi surface: The surface in momentum space separating occupied from unoccupied electron states at zero temperature.

References

1. Synthesis, properties, and material hybridization of bare aromatic polymers enabled by dendrimer support. Nature Communications (2022).
2. Superconductivity in Sm-doped [ n ]phenacenes ( n = 3, 4, 5). Chemical Communications (2015).
3. Combined experimental and computational study of high-pressure behavior of triphenylene. Scientific Reports (2016).
4. Potassium-Doped Para-Terphenyl: Structure, Electrical Transport Properties and Possible Signatures of a Superconducting Transition. Condensed Matter (2020).
5. Correlated electronic structures and the phase diagram of hydrocarbon-based superconductors. New Journal of Physics (2013).