Sciencemadness Discussion Board

What would your first experiment be if you had access to room temperature superconductors?

Swinfi2 - 12-11-2018 at 22:35

While I recognise that this could just be a hype-train and might not be as easy as ("silver nanoparticles in a gold matrix") it seems. After reading this Did iisc team find a room temperature superconductor..? I've been intrigued by the implications. If it is possible that any/most of us could be a few relatively simple steps away from rt superconductors, what would you do with them first?

I would try to make a DIY H1 NMR (for it's obvious utility). But there are so many other possibilities I'm sure I've not even heard of most of them, so what would you do?

Sulaiman - 13-11-2018 at 04:57

I'd probably build a giant coil of many many turns to create a large volume high intensity magnetic field to investigate something or other, then I'd forget how much energy is stored in the field
and electrocute myself when switching off :P

If the CPR is successful then my second experiment will be at a smaller scale, levitation probably.

Herr Haber - 13-11-2018 at 05:14

When talking about superconductors what is meant by room temperature is far below what most people understand.
I've had similar discussions when talking about super acids.

Sigmatropic - 13-11-2018 at 10:51

Do they mean room temperature, on the antarctic pole, during the middle of the polar winter?

SWIM - 13-11-2018 at 11:16

I would have them tested and find out how they work and patent them and rake in the big bucks.

What advanced alien race or unknown genius is it that supplies me with this technology which does not yet exist on earth?

I would owe them a great debt of thanks.

Swinfi2 - 13-11-2018 at 19:17

In the article they indicated two values, one around -20c and 20%ish granular supercoducting regions and the other was more speculative around +50c (don't quote that I'm rounding) but that's if it's real, someone spotted a copy paste in the noise of a graph.

but in context I was referring to having the material without worrying about the details past what's needed.

weilawei - 13-11-2018 at 19:59

Quote: Originally posted by Swinfi2  
"silver nanoparticles in a gold matrix"


My research will require several liters of a chloroplatinic acid solution.

clearly_not_atara - 13-11-2018 at 22:05

levitation obviously

but the article was debunked

Melgar - 14-11-2018 at 13:25

If I had unlimited resources, then probably a tokamak. But I don't, so in all likelihood, I'd probably just build an energy-storage coil that could be charged up and discharged to generate indoor lightning bolts.

unionised - 14-11-2018 at 14:17

Quote: Originally posted by Herr Haber  
When talking about superconductors what is meant by room temperature is far below what most people understand.

I think you may have muddled the term with "high temperature" superconductors.
High temperatures meant "warmer than liquid helium/ hydrogen"


I suspect that the first experiment I'd do with a room temperature superconductor would be to warm it up and measure the critical temperature.

Also, if anyone is planning to sell their soul to the devil for a room temp SC, remember that the critical temperature is not the only parameter that matters.
The Horned One may offer you a material with a critical temperature of, for example, 30C, but a vanishingly small critical magnetic field strength.

You could have a material that's a SC- until you put any useful current through it, or a SC magnet that stops superconducting as soon as it's usefully magnetised.

Ozone - 14-11-2018 at 15:43

Assuming I could put about 200A into it, probably make a cryo-free high-field NMR spectrometer.

O3

GrayGhost- - 14-11-2018 at 15:48

Mmmmm I make the skate of McFly in back to future:D

Herr Haber - 15-11-2018 at 04:19

Quote: Originally posted by unionised  
Quote: Originally posted by Herr Haber  
When talking about superconductors what is meant by room temperature is far below what most people understand.

I think you may have muddled the term with "high temperature" superconductors.
High temperatures meant "warmer than liquid helium/ hydrogen"




I think you are right :)
Last time I had this conversation with someone and researched a bit (10+ years ago) the highest operating temperatures were around room temperature.
If your room was made of dry ice blocks in Siberia during the harshest winter ever.
Not as cold as helium, but far from the 20c° we all love.

Mr. Wizard - 15-11-2018 at 08:42

i'd nest together three superconducting shells and make a stasis field.