Carbon Nanotube Superconducting Power Cable CNT-Grid Passes 1,000-Hour Durability Test: Transmission Loss Reduced by Another Order of Magnitude

Tsinghua University Department of Chemical Engineering Professor Wei Fei's team announced on July 21 that its CNT-Grid carbon nanotube superconducting power cable completed a 1,000-hour continuous operation test at the State Grid Zhangbei Test Station. Based on the latest breakthrough in room-temperature superconducting properties of carbon nanotube arrays, the cable achieves zero-resistance power transmission at liquid nitrogen temperature (minus 196 degrees Celsius), with per-kilometer transmission loss below 0.001 percent.

CNT-Grid's current-carrying capacity is 50 times that of copper cable of equal cross-section, while weighing only one-tenth as much. Professor Wei stated: "Carbon nanotube superconductivity does not depend on rare earth elements. The raw material is methane and other carbon sources, costing far less than traditional superconducting materials." The team plans to begin construction of a 100-kilometer demonstration line in 2031, connecting the Inner Mongolia wind power base with Beijing.