How was this discovered?
Limitations to using superconductors
In 1911, The Dutch physicist Heike Kamerlingh
Onnes was testing different materials at extremely
low temperatures. In this experiment he was
cooling mercury down to minus 269 degrees,
almost absolute zero, as he was doing this, he
discovered that at these extreme conditions,
mercury can conduct electricity without losing
energy.
Why does this happen?
Generally, in standard temperatures, as the
electrons are travelling through the metal,
electrons bump into atoms resulting in a loss of
energy, known as electrical resistance. However,
when temperatures are extremely low, electrons
can pair up and travel through the metal without
bumping into atoms. This means they can generate
strong powerful magnetic field
Superconductivity
Superconductivity is the ability of specific
materials to conduct an electrical current
without electrical resistance.
What are the different uses of
superconductors?
Superconductors can be used in maglev trains
in Japan, where the train is able to float above
the tracks using these superconducting
magnets, meaning there is no friction or
energy loss, allowing these trains to reach high
speeds.
Also in MRI scans, we can use superconducting
magnets, mainly Niobium Titanium (NbTi). We
use this magnet to produce a unified magnetic
field around the patient causing the hydrogen
atoms in a patient’s body to align with the
magnetic field. Subsequently, radio waves are
used to disrupt this leading to the hydrogen
atoms emitting energy signals which are then
detected by the MRI machine. This signal is
then sent to a computer, using software to
produce an image of the organ.
One of the main problems with using superconductors is the high
cost it takes to bring this metals to such low temperatures as well
as their brittle nature, limiting their durability and make them
problematic to use in specific applications.
As well as this superconductors are quite sensitive to magnetic
fields which can result in them losing their properties.
Examples of superconductors
Magnesium diboride- With a critical
temperature of 39K (-234 degrees
Celsius), is the highest amongst
conventional superconductors.
Mercury- With a critical
temperature of 4K (-265
degrees Celsius ), this was
initially the first substance
to be a superconductor, yet
it took scientists 111 years
to prove it!
By, Arjuna Shankar 10R1