Conventional superconductors are described well by the Bardeen—Cooper—Schrieffer (BCS) theory (1957) and its related theories, all of which importantly put no explicit limit on T_c. While this allows in principle for room temperature superconductivity, no such phenomenon has been observed. Since the discovery of superconductivity in 1911, the measured critical temperature of BCS superconductors has not until recently exceeded 39 K. In 2014, hydrogen sulfide at high pressure was experimentally found to show superconductivity at T_c=200 K, a record high value which greatly exceeds that of the previous class of high-temperature superconductors, the cuprates. The superconductivity mechanism in cuprates is not yet explained. Over the period of 25 years, the critical temperature of cuprates has not been increased above 164 K. The paper reviews research on record-high T_c superconductivity in hydrogen sulphide and other hydrides. Prospects for increasing T_c to room temperature are also discussed.

Keywords: high-temperature superconductivity, high pressures, hydrides PACS: 74.20.Fg, 74.62.Fj, 74.70.−b (all) DOI: 10.3367/UFNe.2016.09.037921 URL: https://ufn.ru/en/articles/2016/11/d/ 000396002700004 2-s2.0-85012951083 2016PhyU...59.1154E Citation: Eremets M I, Drozdov A P "High-temperature conventional superconductivity" Phys. Usp. 59 1154–1160 (2016) BibTexBibNote ® (generic)BibNote ® (RIS)MedlineRefWorks Received: 16th, June 2016, accepted: 20th, September 2016 Оригинал: Еремец М И, Дроздов А П «Высокотемпературные обычные сверхпроводники» УФН 186 1257–1263 (2016); DOI: 10.3367/UFNr.2016.09.037921