沃里克大学研究团队利用先进的三维X射线衍射成像技术，发现了一种被科学界研究了40年的铜酸盐超导体内部结构存在重大隐患。1该研究于2026年10月24日发表在《物理评论快报》上，由沃里克大学化学系与欧洲同步辐射设施（ESRF）合作完成。1
研究表明，这种超导体并非科学家长期以来假设的均匀晶体，而是包含多种晶体结构的复杂拼凑体。1更引人注目的是，材料内部的晶界宽度比预期宽出数百倍，这些异常宽的边界区域可能削弱超导性能。1领导这项研究的Mark Senn教授表示："我们已证明它不成立。晶体从本质上是拼凑的、纹理化的，具有异常宽的边界区域，这些区域可能与超导性相抗衡而不只是并存。"1
这一发现挑战了数十年来关于这类超导体均匀性的科学假设，有望解释为何不同样品的超导体性能存在差异。1研究得以成行，还得益于欧洲同步辐射设施近期完成的1.5亿欧元升级，使设施能够提供更强有力的X射线束。1
Researchers at the University of Warwick have discovered that cuprate superconductors long assumed to possess uniform crystal structures are actually far more complex than previously understood.1 Using advanced three-dimensional X-ray diffraction imaging, the team revealed that these materials consist of multiple crystal phases rather than the homogeneous structure scientists have operated under for the past 40 years.1 Most strikingly, the grain boundaries within these materials are abnormally wide—hundreds of times broader than anticipated—which may significantly weaken their superconducting properties.1
The findings, published in Physical Review Letters on October 24, 2026, represent a fundamental challenge to long-standing scientific assumptions about superconductor behavior.1 Led by Professor Mark Senn from the University of Warwick's Department of Chemistry in collaboration with the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF), the research was enabled by the ESRF's recent €150 million upgrade, which provided access to more powerful X-ray beams.1 According to Senn, "We have shown it does not hold true. The crystals are fundamentally fragmented and textured, with abnormally wide boundary regions that may counteract rather than simply coexist with superconductivity."1 This discovery offers potential insight into why certain superconductors outperform others and could reshape the understanding of superconductor mechanisms at the microscopic level.1
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