A thin sheet of carbon, resembling an intricate mesh of triangles, hexagons, and octagons, lies on a substrate. By itself, it is not superconducting: electrons move through it haphazardly, bumping into atoms. But stretch the sheet evenly, like canvas on a frame, and the picture changes.
Stretching makes the atoms align more neatly and farther apart, and their vibrations, like the quiver of a taut string, begin to interact more strongly with electrons. The electrons pair up and glide through the material without resistance. This transition was calculated for a carbon film called THO-graphene. In its free state, it does not superconduct, but after stretching, it does.
Controlling superconductivity with mere tension is like turning on a light bulb by gently bending the wire. For electronics, this opens the door to superconducting films that don't need extreme cooling but just a careful stretch.
A temperature of 45 kelvins is colder than the surface of Pluto, but significantly warmer than many classic superconductors, which require temperatures below 10 kelvins.
In science fiction, superconductors are often depicted as the material of the future for levitating trains and powerful magnets. Controlling superconductivity with a simple stretch echoes the idea of 'smart' fabrics that change properties under tension.