An idea picture of superconductivity materials Illustration: VCG
As 2026 marks the opening 12 months of the fifteenth Five-Year Plan interval (2026-30), matters similar to new high quality productive forces, basic analysis and breakthroughs in key core applied sciences have turn into main factors of dialogue during China’s ongoing “two sessions.” Superconductivity and quantum supplies, as key frontier applied sciences, are broadly seen as essential to overcoming technological bottlenecks and supporting nationwide strategic objectives.
In an interview with the Global Times, Zhou Xingjiang, a member of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), shared his views on the event path of superconductivity and quantum supplies, the importance of advancing self-developed scientific devices, and China’s transition from a know-how follower to a worldwide frontrunner.
Zhou, who has lengthy been engaged in analysis on superconductivity and quantum supplies, as soon as led his workforce to develop the world’s first vacuum ultraviolet laser-based angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) system, breaking overseas technological monopolies and offering an necessary analysis instrument for China’s elementary research within the discipline.
When speaking about technological innovation, Zhou advised the Global Times that what considerations him most is just not a particular technological breakthrough, however the broader analysis surroundings. In his view, science and know-how lie on the core of nationwide competitiveness. To obtain the purpose of constructing China right into a science and know-how powerhouse by 2035, it’s important to correctly steadiness scientific analysis and technological utility, whereas the analysis surroundings and analysis mechanisms function key “batons” guiding the route of analysis and enhancing effectivity.
He famous that scientific analysis relies upon on 4 key components: expertise, funding, experimental circumstances and the broader analysis surroundings. He additionally famous that analysis mechanisms is especially essential. If analysis standards are misaligned, even heavy funding in manpower, funding and gear could fail to supply the specified outcomes.
Drawing on his expertise, Zhou mentioned that analysis – particularly basic analysis – requires a long-term dedication and barely yields fast outcomes, underscoring the necessity for a extra tolerant and secure analysis surroundings and extra rational analysis mechanisms so scientists can focus on sustained work.
In mild of this 12 months’s Government Work Report, which requires creating new high quality productive forces, strengthening basic analysis and advancing breakthroughs in key core applied sciences, Zhou mentioned that progress in superconductivity and quantum supplies should even be rooted in basic analysis. Although superconductivity was found greater than a century in the past, it has but to see widespread utility similar to that of semiconductors, primarily because of the strict temperature necessities of superconducting supplies.
He defined that superconducting supplies have distinctive properties, together with zero electrical resistance and the flexibility to generate robust magnetic fields. Zero resistance allows energy transmission with virtually no losses, whereas robust magnetic fields can assist functions similar to magnetic resonance imaging and nuclear fusion – areas seen as key drivers of future new high quality productive forces. One main purpose of present analysis is to realize room-temperature superconductivity, which might allow widespread use of the know-how throughout vitality, healthcare and computing.
Zhou additionally famous that the applying of superconducting know-how in nuclear fusion has drawn growing world consideration. In latest years, a rising variety of firms worldwide have targeted on nuclear fusion analysis and improvement, partly as a result of high-temperature superconducting tapes can considerably scale back the dimensions of fusion units and decrease development prices.
China can be a participant within the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor challenge and has undertaken the event of key parts such because the magnet feeder system, a course of that has additionally superior China’s capabilities in low-temperature superconducting supplies and magnet applied sciences, Zhou mentioned.
In the sector of basic analysis, superior scientific devices additionally play an important function. A vacuum ultraviolet laser ARPES, independently developed by Zhou’s workforce has supplied a key technical instrument for learning the digital construction of superconducting supplies, whereas additionally breaking the long-standing technological monopoly beforehand held by overseas gamers on this discipline.
He defined that ARPES is a key experimental methodology for learning superconducting supplies, because it permits scientists to watch the inner digital construction of supplies and higher perceive the mechanisms behind superconductivity.
In the previous, such analysis largely relied on large-scale synchrotron radiation amenities. When Zhou returned to China from the US in 2004, China had not but constructed a third-generation synchrotron radiation supply. He due to this fact proposed utilizing laser mild to exchange synchrotron radiation as the sunshine supply, and finally led his workforce to finish the design, set up and commissioning of the instrument.
The instrument achieved a significant breakthrough in electron energy-spectrum decision. Its success not solely enabled high-level basic analysis in laboratories but in addition helped advance China’s improvement of scientific devices, he mentioned.
Subsequently, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Science and Technology, and the National Natural Science Foundation of China launched devoted applications to advertise the localization of scientific devices, he added.
Given the lengthy improvement cycles and excessive dangers concerned in creating high-end scientific devices, Zhou recommended offering extra long-term and secure coverage assist, whereas establishing a complete assist system overlaying improvement, operation and upgrades.
Reviewing the trajectory of China’s superconductivity analysis, Zhou mentioned that Chinese scientists have persistently pursued unbiased innovation and achieved regular progress in areas similar to high-temperature superconductivity. He added that basic analysis should stay open and collaborative, with worldwide exchanges serving to researchers observe the newest world developments and generate new breakthroughs.
China has achieved a 35.6 tesla all-superconducting magnet in an experiment facility, setting a brand new document, the CAS mentioned on January 27, the Xinhua News Agency reported.
This achievement supplies extraordinarily high-magnetic-field experiment circumstances important for cutting-edge analysis in fields similar to materials science and life sciences, based on the CAS. It will assist researchers discover unknown phenomena within the micro-world and speed up main scientific discoveries and technological innovation in basic analysis and high-end gear manufacturing in China and the world, Xinhua reported.