Room-temperature superconductivity at ambient pressure remains one of condensedmatter physics’ greatest challenges. Conventional phonon-mediated superconductors arelimited by electron-phonon coupling strength and phonon frequencies, while high-Tccuprates and hydrides face practical barriers of anisotropy, doping complexity, or extremepressure. This paper proposes hexagonal LiBC (lithium borocarbide, space group P6₃/mmc) as acandidate ternary compound. Inspired by MgB₂ (Tc = 39 K) but enhanced by carbonincorporation into B-C honeycomb layers, the design aims for strong electron-phononcoupling (λ ≈ 3. 5–3. 8) from high-frequency in-plane B-C phonon modes while maintainingdynamic stability at 1 atm. Using the modified Allen-Dynes-McMillan equation with ωₗog ≈1400 K, a conceptual Tc of ~298 K is obtained under optimistic parameters. LiBC is known experimentally as a layered graphite-like material (primarily studied as a Liionbattery anode) and was theoretically predicted in the early 2000s to support high-Tcsuperconductivity upon hole doping. However, bulk experiments have not observedsuperconductivity, highlighting doping and structural stability challenges. This framework isexplicitly hypothesis-generating: it synthesizes known structural data, phonon-mediatedmechanisms, and application needs (e. g. , fusion magnets) into an actionable designblueprint. If realized through optimized synthesis and doping, LiBC could enable losslesspower transmission, compact fusion reactors, affordable MRI, and maglev transportation—transforming energy, computing, and climate solutions. ETH/EVM Donation: 0xce1E3BEeA89e25B567De17d62dCDE1e8B0C6f7DA
Brent Allen Jensen (Mon,) studied this question.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: