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How can the critical temperature of superconducting materials be increased to enable their use in everyday applications?

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Increasing the critical temperature  Tc  of superconducting materials to enable their use in everyday applications is a challenging task that has been the focus of research for many years. The critical temperature is the temperature below which a material exhibits superconductivity, i.e., zero electrical resistance and expulsion of magnetic fields. To make superconducting materials more practical for everyday use, we need to develop materials with higher Tc values that can operate at or near room temperature. Here are some approaches to achieve this:1. Discovering new materials: Researchers are constantly searching for new materials with higher Tc values. High-temperature superconductors  HTS , such as copper-oxide-based ceramics  cuprates  and iron-based compounds  pnictides , have shown Tc values above the boiling point of liquid nitrogen  -196C . Although these temperatures are still far from room temperature, they represent a significant improvement over conventional superconductors like niobium-titanium alloys, which have Tc values around -240C.2. Doping and chemical substitution: Modifying the chemical composition of known superconductors by doping or substituting elements can lead to an increase in Tc. For example, the Tc of cuprates can be increased by doping with elements like yttrium, barium, or lanthanum. Similarly, the Tc of pnictides can be increased by substituting elements like fluorine, arsenic, or phosphorus.3. Pressure-induced superconductivity: Applying high pressure to certain materials can induce superconductivity or increase their Tc. For example, hydrogen sulfide  H2S  becomes a superconductor at -70C under a pressure of around 150 GPa. Researchers are exploring other materials that might exhibit superconductivity under high pressure, as well as ways to stabilize these materials at ambient pressure.4. Nanostructuring and interface engineering: Manipulating the nanostructure of superconducting materials or creating interfaces between different materials can lead to an increase in Tc. For example, researchers have observed an increase in Tc in thin films of cuprates when they are grown on specific substrates or when they are combined with other materials in multilayer structures.5. Theoretical predictions and computational modeling: Advanced computational methods and theoretical models can help predict new materials with high Tc values or suggest ways to modify existing materials to increase their Tc. Machine learning and artificial intelligence techniques are also being employed to accelerate the discovery of new superconducting materials.In conclusion, increasing the critical temperature of superconducting materials for everyday applications requires a combination of experimental and theoretical approaches. The discovery of new materials, chemical modifications, pressure-induced superconductivity, nanostructuring, and computational modeling are all promising avenues to achieve this goal. While room-temperature superconductivity remains elusive, ongoing research continues to push the boundaries of our understanding and bring us closer to realizing this technological breakthrough.
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