  Superconductivity is one of most intriguing quantum phenomena, and the quest
for elemental superconductors with high critical temperature (Tc) is of great
scientific significance due to their relatively simple material composition and
the underlying mechanism. Here we report the experimental discovery of densely
compressed scandium (Sc) becoming the first elemental superconductor with Tc
breaking into 30 K range, which is comparable to the Tc values of the classic
La-Ba-Cu-O or LaFeAsO superconductors. Our results show that Tconset of Sc
increases from ~3 K at around 43 GPa to ~32 K at about 283 GPa (Tczero ~ 31 K),
which is well above liquid neon temperature. Interestingly measured Tc shows no
sign of saturation up to the maximum pressure achieved in our experiments,
indicating that Tc might be even higher upon further compression.
