Platinum Bismuth could be revolutionary7 Jan 2026 16:39
Along with the copper and zinc at Mushima, we have BISMUTH ..........Elevated bismuth (up to 991 g/t), and the critical metals antimony (up to 0.21%) and gallium (up to 40 g/t) are also associated with the mineralisation in places.
A shiny gray crystal called platinum-bismuth-two hides an electronic world unlike anything scientists have seen before. Researchers discovered that only the crystal’s outer surfaces become superconducting—allowing electrons to flow with zero resistance—while the interior remains ordinary metal. Even stranger, the electrons on the surface pair up in a highly unusual pattern that breaks all known rules of superconductivity.
The material PtBi₂ (lower metallic block) has a superconducting top surface (blue). Where the electrons in this surface pair up, indicated by the height of the blue wave, they move without resistance. Just like other superconductors, this allows PtBi₂ to levitate a magnet above its surface (floating disc). Curiously, there are six directions along which electrons are unable to pair up, making PtBi₂ a superconductor unlike any other.