Physics (3)

ELC 102

Assignment on
Superconductive Materials
B Y: -
1 - N O U R A L L A H YA S S E R S AY E D 2-ABDUALLAH
M A H M O U D TA H A
3 - FA R E S A B U M U S L I M N A B AW I
TO : -
D R . H A N Y S . E. M A N S O U R
 Contents
 Superconductors
Properties
 Important factors
 Types of Superconductors
 High and Low Tc Superconductors
 Josephson Effect
 Application of Superconductors
 Introduction
- What are superconductors?
• Superconductors are the material having almost zero resistivity and
behave as diamagnetic below the superconducting transiting
temperature.
• Superconductivity is the flow of electric current without resistance
in certain metals, alloys, and ceramics at temperatures near absolute
zero, and in some cases at temperatures hundreds of degrees above
absolute zero = -273ºK.
 General Properties of
Superconductors
• Electrical resistance: Virtually zero electrical resistance.
• Effect of impurities: When impurities are added to superconducting
elements, the superconductivity is not loss but the Tc is lowered.
• Effect of pressures and stress: Certain materials exhibits
superconductivity on increasing the pressure in superconductors, the
increase in stress results in increase of the Tc value.
 General Properties of
Superconductors
• Isotope effect: The critical or transition temperature Tc value of a
superconductors is found to vary with its isotopic mass. i.e. “the
transition temperature is inversely proportional to the square root of
isotopic mass of single superconductors.”
Tc  1/√M
• Magnetic field effect: If strong magnetic field applied to a
superconductors below its Tc, the superconductors undergoes a
transition from superconducting state to normal state.
 Meissner effect
Meissner effect: The complete expulsion of
all magnetic field by superconducting
material.
• Normal state: T>Tc
• Superconducting state: T<Tc
• The Meissner effect is a distinct
characteristics of a superconducting from a
normal perfect conductor. In addition, this
effect is exhibited by the super conducting
materials only when the applied field is less
than the critical field Hc.
 Important Factors to define a
Superconducting State
• The superconducting state is defined by three very important
factors :
1. Critical temperature (Tc).
2. Critical field (Hc).
3. Critical current density (Jc).
Each of these parameters is very dependent on the other two properties present.
 Critical Temperature
• The temperature at which a material electrical Metal Critical T.
(K)
resistivity drops to absolute zero is called the
Critical Temperature or Transition Temperature. Aluminum 1.2K

• Below critical temperature, material is said to be Tin 3.7K

in superconducting and above this it is said to in
Mercury 4.2K
normal state. Below this temperature the
superconductors also exhibits a variety of several Niobium 9.3K

astonishing magnetic and electrical propreties. Niobium-Tin 17.9K

Tl-Ba-Cu-oxide 125K
 Critical
Magnetic Field
• Critical magnetic field (Hc): Above this
value of an externally applied magnetic
field a superconductor becomes non-
superconducting. This minimum
magnetic fields required to destroy the
superconducting state is called the
critical magnetic field Hc.
Hc = Ho(1-(T/Tc)2)
 Types of Superconductors
• Superconductors are classified into the following categories owing to
different considerations:
1. On the Basis of Working Temperature:
 Low temperature superconductors (LTS)
 High temperature superconductors (HTS)
2. On the Basis of Kind of Material:
 Metallic superconductors (MS)
 Intermetallic compound superconductors
 Ceramic Superconductors (CS)
 Alloy superconductors
 Types of Superconductors
3. On the Basis of Application:
 Magnetic grade superconductors
 Non-magnetic grade superconductors
4. On the Basis of Penetration of Magnetic Lines of Force
 Type I or ideal superconductors
 Type II or hard superconductors
 High and Low Tc
Superconductors
Low Tc Superconductors High Tc Superconductors

• Low temperature superconductors • High temperature superconductors

are those having their critical are those having their critical
temperature less than 25K (Tc<25K). temperature more than 25K
(Tc>25K).
 Josephson Effect
• Two superconductors separated by a very thin strip of an installer forms a Josephson junction.
• The wave nature of moving particles make electrons to tunnel through the barrier. As a
consequence of tunneling of electrons across the insulator there is net current across the
junction. This is called d.c.josephson effect. The current flows even in absence of potential
difference.
• The magnitude of current depends on the thickness of the insulators, the nature of the
materials and the temperature.
• On the other hand when potential difference V is applied between the two sides of the
junction there will be an oscillation of tunneling current with angular frequency v=2eV/h. This
called a.c.josephson effect.
 Application of Superconductors
• The production of sensitive magnetometers based on SQUIDs.
• Powerful Superconducting electromagnets used in maglev trains, Magnetic Resonance
Imaging (MRI) and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) machines, magnetic confinement
fusion reactors and the beam-streeing and focusing magnets used in particle accelerators.
•Superconducting generators has the benefit of small size and low energy consumption
than the conventional generators.
•Very fast and accurate computers can be constructed using superconductors and power
consumption is also very low. Superconductors can be used to transmit electrical power
over very long distances without any power or any voltage drop.