What is Mercury?

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About Mercury’s superconductivity

In 1911, Dutch physicist Heike Kamerlingh Onnes discovered superconductivity in mercury.
He found that at a very low temperature, called the threshold temperature, solid mercury offers no resistance to the flow of electric current.
Scientists later classified mercury as a conventional superconductor because its superconductivity could be explained by the concepts of the Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer (BCS) theory.
In BCS superconductors, vibrational energy released by the grid of atoms encourages electrons to pair up, forming so-called Cooper pairs.
These Copper pairs can move like water in a stream, facing no resistance to their flow, below a threshold temperature.

What is Superconductivity?

A material can conduct electricity without any resistance. It is observed in many materials when they are cooled below a critical temperature.

What is Mercury?

It is a naturally occurring element that is found in air, water and soil.
It is released into the atmosphere through natural processes such as weathering of rocks, volcanic eruptions, geothermal activities, forest fires, etc.

Q1) What are superconductors?

A superconductor is a material that achieves superconductivity, which is a state of matter that has no electrical resistance and does not allow magnetic fields to penetrate. An electric current in a superconductor can persist indefinitely.

Source: A clear picture of how mercury becomes a superconductor.