High temperature superconductor

Introduction

High-temperaturesuperconductorsusuallyrefertomaterialsthataresuperconductingabovethetemperatureofliquidnitrogen(77K).Whensuperconductorswerediscovered(1911),theywereattractedbytheirpeculiarproperties(namely,zeroresistance,diamagnetism,andquantumtunnelingeffect).Butintheseventy-fiveyearssincethen,allthesuperconductorsthathavebeendiscoveredonlyshowsuperconductivityatextremelylowtemperatures(23K),sotheirapplicationshavebeengreatlyrestricted.

Discovery

In1986,BernozandMullerdiscoveredthe35Ksuperconductinglanthanumbariumcopperoxygensystem.Thisbreakthroughdiscoveryledtothediscoveryofaseriesofrareearthbariumcopperoxidesuperconductorsathighertemperatures.Throughelementreplacement,atthebeginningof1987,WuMaokun(ZhuJingwu)oftheUnitedStatesandZhaoZhongxianoftheChineseInstituteofPhysicsannouncedthediscoveryofa90Kyttrium-barium-copper-oxygensuperconductor,achievingthefirstbreakthroughinthetemperaturebarrierofliquidnitrogentemperature(77K).BernozandMulleralsowonthe1987NobelPrizeinPhysicsfortheirpioneeringwork.

Thistypeofsuperconductorisusuallycalledahigh-temperaturesuperconductorbecauseitscriticaltemperatureisabovethetemperatureofliquidnitrogen(77K).Thediscoveryofyttrium-barium-copper-oxygensuperconductorsabovethetemperatureofliquidnitrogenhasprovidedordinaryphysicslaboratorieswiththeconditionsforconductingsuperconductingexperiments.Therefore,therehasbeenanupsurgeinexploringnewhigh-temperaturesuperconductorsaroundtheworld.Attheendof1987,ChinesescholarShengZhengzhiandothersfirstdiscoveredthefirstrareearth-freethallium-barium-copper-oxygenhigh-temperaturesuperconductor.Inearly1988,Japandevelopedabismuth-strontium-calcium-copper-oxygensuperconductorwithacriticaltemperatureof110K.InFebruary1988,ShengZhengzhiandothersfurtherdiscoveredthe125Kthalliumbariumcalciumcopperoxygensuperconductor.Afewyearslater(1993)Frenchscientistsdiscovereda135Kmercury-barium-calcium-copper-oxygensuperconductor.

Classification

High-temperaturesuperconductorsincludefourcategories:90Krareearthseries,110Kbismuthseries,125Kthalliumseries,and135Kmercuryseries.Theyallcontaincopperandoxygen,sotheyarecollectivelyreferredtoascopper-basedsuperconductors.Theyhaveasimilarlayeredcrystallinestructure,andthecopperoxidelayerisasuperconductinglayer.High-temperaturesuperconductorshavealreadyachievedpracticalapplicationsandhavebeguntobenefitmankind.Forexample,yttrium-barium-copper-oxygensuperconductorsandbismuthsuperconductorshavebeenmadeintohigh-qualitysuperconductingcables.Thedevicemadeofthallium,barium,calcium,copperandoxygensuperconductingfilmwasinstalledinthetransmissiontowerofmobilephonesasearlyastheendofthelastcenturytoincreasecapacityandreducedisconnectionandinterference.

Examples

High-temperaturesuperconductingcopperoxidesuperconductorsincludea1.85Ba0.15CuO4,andYBCO(yttrium-barium-copper-oxygencompound),bothofwhicharefamousmaterialsforbreakingthroughliquidnitrogen"TemperatureBarrier"(77K).

Temperature

(Kelvin)

Material

Type

Outlook

TheexplorationofnewandhighertemperaturesuperconductorshasbeenintenseIsgoingon.Becausethetheoryofhigh-temperaturesuperconductivityhasnotbeenwellestablished,theprogressofexploratoryworkisslow.Althoughnewsuperconductorsandhighertemperaturesuperconductivityhavebeenreportedfromtimetotime,realnewbreakthroughshavenotyetbeenmade.

Whydomanysuperconductingmaterialsneedtobesuperconductingataverylowtemperature?Itisbecauseatroomtemperature,therearegapsbetweenconductoratoms.Whenelectronsmovebetweenatoms,theymustpassthroughthesegapsandcollidewiththeatoms,causingtheatomstovibrateandheattoformresistance.Atextremelylowtemperatures,therearealmostnogapsbetweenconductoratoms,andelectronscanpassfreelywithoutcollidingwithatoms.Inthefuture,theresearchofroomtemperaturesuperconductingmaterialsshouldselectappropriatemixturesofdifferentelements,sothatatomsofdifferentsizesandshapesarecombinedtogether,sothattherearenogapsbetweenatoms,sothatelectronscanpassthroughfreelyanddonotcollidewithatoms.Thedifficultyinthedevelopmentofroomtemperaturesuperconductingmaterialsisthattheatomsofmanymaterialswillvibrateatroomtemperature,andthegapsbetweentheatomsarerelativelylarge.Aslongasthemixingelementsareproperlyselected,superconductingmaterialsatroomtemperaturecansoonbemass-produced.

WebelievethatthedescendantsofYanhuang,whohavemadeoutstandingachievementsinthefieldofcopper-basedhigh-temperaturesuperconductors,willcertainlymakemorebrilliantcontributionstothejourneyofrealizingthedreamofhumanroomtemperaturesuperconductors.