Superconductors

Extracted Attributes

• Phenomenon

  Superconductivity

• Key Property 1

  Zero electrical resistance

• Key Property 2

  Expulsion of magnetic fields (Meissner effect)

• Coolant for YBCO

  Liquid nitrogen (boils at 77 K)

• Underlying Physics

  Quantum mechanics

• Type I Superconductor Example (Lead)

  Critical temperature (Tc) 7.2 K

• Company Location (ASG Superconductors)

  Genova, Liguria, Italia

• Type I Superconductor Example (Mercury)

  Critical temperature (Tc) 4.2 K

• Type I Superconductor Example (Aluminum)

  Critical temperature (Tc) 1.2 K

• High-Temperature Superconductor Example (YBCO)

  Critical temperature (Tc) 92 K

• High-Temperature Superconductor Example (BSCCO)

  Critical temperature (Tc) 110 K

• High-Temperature Superconductor Example (Iron-Based)

  Critical temperature (Tc) up to 55 K

Timeline

• Superconductivity discovered by Dutch physicist Heike Kamerlingh Onnes. (Source: Summary, Wikipedia, Web Search)

  1911-01-01

• Superconducting magnets were used to generate high magnetic fields for the development of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machines. (Source: Web Search)

  1970-01-01

• John Martinis published his landmark paper on macroscopic quantum mechanics, demonstrating quantum phenomena like quantum tunneling in electrical circuits built with superconductors and a Josephson Junction. (Source: Related Documents)

  1985-01-01

• Discovery of a new class of copper-oxide (cuprate-perovskite ceramic) materials exhibiting superconductivity at temperatures above 35 K, known as high-temperature superconductors. (Source: Summary, Wikipedia, Web Search)

  1986-01-01

• Ching-Wu Chu discovered YBCO (Yttrium Barium Copper Oxide), raising the critical temperature to 92 K, making liquid nitrogen (77 K) a viable coolant. (Source: Summary, Wikipedia, Web Search)

  1986-01-01

• Superconductivity discovered in LaFePO. (Source: Web Search)

  2006-01-01

• Superconductivity discovered in LaNiPO with a critical temperature of 3 K. (Source: Web Search)

  2007-01-01

• Iron-Based Superconductors discovered. (Source: Web Search)

  2008-01-01

• Google's quantum lab, led by John Martinis, achieved Quantum Supremacy using a superconducting quantum computer. (Source: Related Documents)

  2019-01-01

• John Martinis is mentioned as the winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics for his work on macroscopic quantum mechanics using superconductors. (Source: Related Documents)

  2025-01-01

Superconductivity

Superconductivity is a set of physical properties observed in superconductors: materials where electrical resistance vanishes and magnetic fields are expelled from the material. Unlike an ordinary metallic conductor, whose resistance decreases gradually as its temperature is lowered, even down to near absolute zero, a superconductor has a characteristic critical temperature below which the resistance drops abruptly to zero. An electric current through a loop of superconducting wire can persist indefinitely with no power source. The superconductivity phenomenon was discovered in 1911 by Dutch physicist Heike Kamerlingh Onnes. Like ferromagnetism and atomic spectral lines, superconductivity is a phenomenon which can only be explained by quantum mechanics. It is characterized by the Meissner effect, the complete cancellation of the magnetic field in the interior of the superconductor during its transitions into the superconducting state. The occurrence of the Meissner effect indicates that superconductivity cannot be understood simply as the idealization of perfect conductivity in classical physics. In 1986, it was discovered that some cuprate-perovskite ceramic materials have a critical temperature above 35 K (−238 °C). It was shortly found (by Ching-Wu Chu) that replacing the lanthanum with yttrium, i.e. making YBCO, raised the critical temperature to 92 K (−181 °C), which was important because liquid nitrogen could then be used as a refrigerant. Such a high transition temperature is theoretically impossible for a conventional superconductor, leading the materials to be termed high-temperature superconductors. The cheaply available coolant liquid nitrogen boils at 77 K (−196 °C) and thus the existence of superconductivity at higher temperatures than this facilitates many experiments and applications that are less practical at lower temperatures.

Web Search Results

• Types of Superconducting Materials and Their Applications

  Superconducting materials are a remarkable class of materials that exhibit zero electrical resistance and the expulsion of magnetic fields (Meissner effect) when cooled below a critical temperature (Tc). Since their discovery in 1911 by Heike Kamerlingh Onnes, superconductors have revolutionized various fields, from medical imaging to energy transmission. This article will brief the different types of superconducting materials and their diverse applications. [...] Type I superconductors are primarily pure metals and metalloids that exhibit superconductivity at very low temperatures (typically below 30 K). They are characterized by a sharp transition to the superconducting state and the complete expulsion of magnetic fields (Meissner effect) below their critical magnetic field (Hc). Examples include: - Mercury (Hg): The first discovered superconductor with a Tc of 4.2 K. - Lead (Pb): Tc of 7.2 K. - Aluminum (Al): Tc of 1.2 K. [...] High-temperature superconductors are a class of materials that exhibit superconductivity at temperatures significantly higher than conventional superconductors (above 30 K). They are often copper-oxide (cuprate) based or iron-based materials. Examples include: - Yttrium Barium Copper Oxide (YBCO): Tc of 92 K. - Bismuth Strontium Calcium Copper Oxide (BSCCO): Tc of 110 K. - Iron-Based Superconductors: Discovered in 2008, with Tc up to 55 K.

• Superconductor : Types, Materials, Properties and Its Applications

  ## What is Superconductor? Definition: A material that can conduct electricity without resistance is known as a superconductor. In most of the cases, in some materials like compounds otherwise metallic elements offers some amount of resistance at room temperature, although they offer low resistance at a temperature is called its critical temperature. [...] We know that there are a lot of materials available where some of them will superconduct. Excluding mercury, the original superconductors are metals, semiconductors, etc. Every different material will turn into a superconductor at a little diverse temperature [...] Meissner effect completely. The superconductor examples are Zinc and Aluminum.

• A review of recent advancement in superconductors - ScienceDirect

  Superconductivity is the phenomenon in which a material losses its electrical resistance completely at a very low temperature by conduction of electricity. Superconductivity with its smooth flow of electric current is based on the old principle of a perpetual motion machine. The resistance ration calculated between normal conductor and superconductor is very close to the ratio of insulator and conductor . Superconductivity is considered as a common instability in metals at very low temperature. [...] In 1979, a new class of “heavy-fermions” superconductors was discovered in magnetic material in violation of Matthias rule . In these inter-metallic compounds magnetism is considered as the reason of cooper pairing also there is unmediated linkage of the electronic degrees of freedom responsible for superconductivity and magnetic moments of moderately filled f-shells of lanthanide or actinide atoms. The superconductivity below a distinctive Critical temperature nearly equal to 1 K is the result [...] Discovery of some materials has been occurredby chance and this is appropriate for the inquiry of new generation superconductors. A team of scientists were inspecting magnetic semiconductor, which begin from the fundamental researchof transpicuous p-type semiconductors LaCuOCh (Where Ch = S and Se) with the similar crystal arrangement as 1111- type layered compounds, investigated superconductivity in LaFePO in 2006 andin 2008 through LaNiPO (Tc = 3 K) in 2007. Ch p-orbital and Cu 3d-orbitals

• Scientists Discover New High-Temperature Superconductor

  Modern electronics generate heat and consume energy during operation. Superconductors, however, possess a unique property known as the zero-resistance state, which eliminates energy loss due to electrical resistance. In theory, this makes them ideal for modern electronic applications, addressing the world’s growing energy demands.

• DOE Explains...Superconductivity - Department of Energy

  materials. Superconductivity is the property of certain materials to conduct direct current (DC) electricity without energy loss when they are cooled below a critical temperature (referred to as T c). These materials also expel magnetic fields as they transition to the superconducting state. [...] In 1986, scientists discovered a new class of copper-oxide materials that exhibited superconductivity, but at much higher temperatures than the metals and metal alloys from earlier in the century. These materials are known as high-temperature superconductors. While they still must be cooled, they are superconducting at much warmer temperatures—some of them at temperatures above liquid nitrogen (-321°F). This discovery held the promise of revolutionary new technologies. It also suggested that [...] superconductivity is destroyed. Technologically, wires opened whole new uses for superconductors, including wound coils to create powerful magnets. In the 1970s, scientists used superconducting magnets to generate the high magnetic fields needed for the development of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines. More recently, scientists introduced superconducting magnets to guide electron beams in synchrotrons and accelerators at scientific user facilities.