CATENAA, Sunday, November 16, 2025- MIT researchers have confirmed unconventional superconductivity in magic-angle twisted trilayer graphene (MATTG), observing a sharp, V-shaped superconducting gap that reveals a new electron pairing mechanism.
Superconductors allow electricity to flow without resistance, but most require extremely low temperatures to function.
MIT’s discovery provides the strongest evidence yet that MATTG hosts superconductivity arising from electronic interactions rather than the lattice vibrations typical in conventional materials. The findings appear in Science.
The team developed a novel experimental setup combining electron tunneling and electrical transport measurements.
This approach allowed them to directly observe the superconducting gap as the material reached zero resistance. The gap’s distinctive V-shaped profile indicates tightly bound electron pairs and a pairing symmetry different from ordinary superconductors.
Earlier experiments had hinted at unusual behavior in MATTG, but this study offers clear, quantitative proof of its unconventional nature.
MATTG is formed by stacking three graphene layers at a precise “magic” angle, creating electronic properties not found in ordinary materials.
Understanding how electrons pair in such two-dimensional systems could guide the design of room-temperature superconductors, a long-sought goal with potential to revolutionize energy grids, computing, and quantum technologies.
Researchers plan to apply this experimental platform to other layered and twisted materials, aiming to study superconductivity and competing quantum phases in real time.
Insights from these studies could inform the engineering of new quantum materials with enhanced performance for energy-efficient technologies and advanced computing systems.
