Proton-mediated Cooper pair formation and high-temperature superconductivity at the graphite-n-alkane interface

This paper presents a novel mechanism for superconductivity involving Cooper pairs mediated by protons. We propose that room-temperature superconductivity can be achieved by bringing graphite into contact with n-alkanes. In this study, we first present the Temperature Programmed Desorption (TPD) spectrum of a sample in which n-octane was dropped onto highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG). The spectrum shows that n-octane decomposes near room temperature, generating hydrogen and methane, indicating protolytic decomposition at the graphite-alkane interface, leading to proton generation. We hypothesize that Lewis acid sites in defects on the graphite surface extract hydride ions (H⁻) from the alkane, which then lose two electrons to form protons, stabilized on the delocalized π electron cloud of graphite. Superconductivity arises when two electrons, with opposite momentum and spin, approach the proton, forming a Cooper pair mediated by the proton. The coupling constant for proton-mediated electron pairs was calculated, and the critical temperature of the proton-mediated superconductor was estimated to be 2250 K, significantly higher than the 500 K measured when n-hexadecane was used as the alkane. The discrepancy may be due to stronger-than-expected shielding effects, but proton-mediated superconductivity could explain the high-temperature superconductivity observed at the graphite-alkane interface.