Superconductors heat up

1998/11/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Patenteak/Asmakizunak

High Temperature Superconductors have been making the most progress since the last decade at IBM's Zürich laboratories. These materials have managed to raise around 50 degrees the temperature in which they transport electricity with zero resistance, leaving the last record to -70 ° C.

This advance will significantly reduce the cooling systems of superconductive devices. The generation of these new superconductors has been made with the same material as in previous superconductors, bio-calcium mercury oxide, but the pressure used has increased considerably. Due to the high pressure, the atoms of the crystals of this ceramic material approach increasing the conductivity of the material. But the pressure must be done in the right direction, otherwise the opposite effect can occur. IBM researchers look for the most suitable pressure crystalline shafts to further increase the temperature of superconductivity.