Develop superconducting materials towards commercial applications

Researchers from Cambridge University have recently created a high-temperature superconductor with the ability to create a magnetic field of 17.6 Tesla, breaking the record set in the laboratory. a decade ago. According to the researchers, this will be an important step forward to bring superconducting materials closer to practical applications such as making large-scale smart grids, maglev-powered gaskets and energy-storage flywheels. quantity.

First discovered in 1911, superconducting material is a layer of materials including mercury and lead. When cooled down to absolute zero (- 273 degrees Celsius), they can conduct electricity with a resistance of zero. Today, these materials are used to make strong electrode magnets used in devices. magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), maglev spacers and Tokamak toroidal magnetic field devices in nuclear reactors. In the future, superconducting materials can also be used to increase the efficiency of power grids by transmitting a large amount of electricity with a very low loss rate.

In the late 1980s, scientists continued to find a new class of materials that possessed superconducting properties at a maximum temperature of 130 degrees K - above absolute zero. These are called high-temperature superconducting materials (HTS) and are very potential for practical applications because they can be cooled with liquid nitrogen instead of liquid helium, through which the material is easy to make and spend. Operation fees are also cheaper.

Now, a group of researchers at Cambridge University have sought to create a high-temperature superconductor with the ability to emit a magnetic field of up to 17.6 Tesla. The large magnetic field is an essential factor affecting the electrical efficiency of materials and although the magnitude of the magnetic field produced by this material is just over 0.4 Tesla, this is still considered a step. Important progress towards cheaper and more efficient superconducting materials.

To achieve a new record, a group of scientists led by Professor David Cardwell of the Cambridge Department of Engineering used a sample of high-temperature superconducting material the size of a golf ball with ingredients. is Gadolinium barium copper oxide (GdBaCuO) .

High-temperature superconducting materials containing copper like GdBaCuO are currently used in certain applications. One example is the Large Hedron Collider particle accelerator currently using a 10km electric cable system with a core of high temperature superconducting copper. However, these materials are quite fragile and the need to create a very strong magnetic field causes the material to explode.

Cardwell and his colleagues overcome this problem by reinforcing GdBaCuO with a 3mm thick non-rigid steel and adjusting the micro structure of the material to increase electrical and thermal transmission efficiency. The result is that the material is as brittle as ceramic but is capable of withstanding a force equivalent to 3 tons.

From these results, the team believes that superconducting materials will be widely used in many commercial applications over the next 5 years. Professor Cardwell said: "The applications for the extraction of superconducting materials include maglev spacers and energy storage flywheels. They will use metamaterial blocks to lift and rotate a block. amount without a mechanical bearing structure ".

The Cambridge University study has also been published in the journal Superconductor Science and Technology.