Like ceramics, most organic compounds are strong insulators; however, some organic materials known as organic synthetic metals do display both conductivity and superconductivity. In the early 1990’s, one such compound was shown to superconduct at approximately 33 K (-240^o C). Although this is well below the temperatures achieved for ceramic oxides, organic superconductors are considered to have great potential for the future.

New superconducting materials are being discovered on a regular basis, and the search is on for room temperature superconductors, which, if discovered, are expected to revolutionize electronics as we know it. In fact, in the summer of 2002, while penning the final words in this chapter, the author was made aware of a new class of polymer materials called Ultraconductors, which exhibit superconducting properties at ambient (room) temperatures. These materials are claimed to conduct electricity at least 100,000 times better than gold, silver, or copper! Unfortunately, the author has been bound to secrecy and my not reveal any more at this time.

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Footnotes:

27. Invented by the British mathematician and physicist William Thomas, first  Baron of Kelvin.

28. If the author were an expert in superconductivity, this is the point where he might be tempted to start muttering about “Correlated electron movements in conducting planes separated by insulating layers of mesoscopic thickness, under which conditions the wave properties of electrons assert themselves and electrons behave like waves rather than particles”. But he’s not, so he won’t