Room-Temperature Superconductor
- Hanmin Ryu
- Jun 13, 2024
- 2 min read
What is a Room-Temperature Superconductor?
Recently, a research team at a university in South Korea announced the discovery of a room-temperature superconductor LK-99. While this concept might be unfamiliar to the public, it has been a hot topic in South Korea. So, what exactly is a Room-temperature superconductor?
A conductor is a material that conducts electricity. By adding “super” to the word conductor, “Superconductor” essentially refers to a material that conducts electricity extremely well, nearly without any energy loss.
The conduction is expressed by the concept of resistance. If a material has high resistance, electricity is not conducted as well. In contrast, if a material has low resistance, it conducts electricity better, ultimately leading a superconductor to have zero resistance.
Why is a Room-temperature superconductor so important?
Onnes first used the term “superconductor” after liquefying helium, saying that the superconductor occurred at -268.8°C. To give an example of Superconductors in daily life, MRI is the best example. It is operated using superconductivity involving liquid helium, maintaining it at a very low temperature. The average cost of an MRI machine is about $2,000,000. With monthly operating costs exceeding $3,000. The superconductivity in MRI requires cooling with helium to -268.8°C, involving significant expense and heat dissipation process.
However, a university research team in South Korea claims to have discovered a material exhibiting superconductivity at room temperature. Until now, the highest known temperature for superconductors was around -200°C. If true, this discovery expands the application range from -200°C to room temperature, marking a monumental innovation in human history.
What is the Meissner Effect?
When discussing superconductivity, the Meissner can not be excluded. In 1933, German physicists Fritz Walther Meissner and Robert Ochsenfeld discovered this phenomenon. Simply put, the Meissner effect is the expulsion of the magnetic field from the interior of a superconducting material. For instance, if there’s a magnetic pole N, the material will generate an opposite pole N to repel it. This is often visualized with the image of a levitating object, a result of the Meissner effect.
When Onnes first discovered superconductivity in 1908, he did not recognize the Meissner effect. He only observed that resistance dropped to zero. It was later proven by Meissner that superconductors are defined by two main characteristics: First, zero resistance at a specific temperature, allowing ect causes current to flow without energy loss. Second, the manifestation of the Meissner magnetic levitation.
Conclusion
If the discovery of a Room-temperature superconductor comes out to be true, it will be considered among the most groundbreaking breakthroughs in the fields of technology in the 21st century. This advancement will be expected to have profound impacts not only on the research areas of physics but also on various industrial sectors worldwide, including energy, transportation, and healthcare.
Reference:
Comments