"Melting" Electrons In Metals Could Open A New Frontier For Superconducting Materials And Artificial Neurons

Summary: For thousands of years, blacksmiths have heated and hammered metals to change how they work. Now, scientists are doing this on a tiny, quantum level! Normally, electrons in metals zoom around freely. But when cooled, they can group together into neat patterns called "electron crystals."

Researchers found a way to "melt" just these electron crystals without melting the actual metal. This trick changes the metal from something that lets electricity flow to something that stops it. Because brain cells also switch between flowing and stopping signals, this amazing discovery could help us build artificial neurons for computers, and even create special wires that save massive amounts of energy!

For more details, see rssapp-iflscience-com at iflscience.com/quantum-metallurgy-might-be-a-new-frontier-for-superconducting-materials-and-artificial-neurons-83432 (opens in new tab)