Miassite mineral: First Ever Unconventional Superconductor Found In Nature

There are only three other natural superconductors but they follow the rules of Bardeen–Cooper–Schrieffer theory, the first microscopic theory of superconductivity. Lab-grown miassite is different. The mineral has a complex chemical formula with 17 atoms of rhodium and 15 of sulfur. Despite its low critical temperature of -267.75°C (-449.95°F), it shares the unconventional properties of superconductors with a higher critical temperature. One test is called the "London penetration depth". In a conventional superconductor, a weak magnetic field can penetrate the bulk of the material at a constant length. In an unconventional one, this changes with the temperature. Another approach was to hit the material with high-energy electrons causing defects. Unconventional superconductors are highly sensitive to these defects. And miassite behaved like an unconventional superconductor.