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An Introduction To Superconductors and It's Properties

Superconductors are materials that show zero electrical resistance below a critical temperature. When mercury was studied at 4.2K in 1911, it was found to have no resistance. Key properties of superconductors include having virtually zero resistance below the critical temperature, and the critical temperature decreasing with the addition of impurities. Superconductors also expel all magnetic fields from their interior, known as the Meissner effect. They can maintain persistent currents without resistance when formed into rings or coils. Strong magnetic fields or high current densities can destroy the superconducting state. Superconductors have many applications due to these unique properties.

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DRISTIE KALITA
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205 views

An Introduction To Superconductors and It's Properties

Superconductors are materials that show zero electrical resistance below a critical temperature. When mercury was studied at 4.2K in 1911, it was found to have no resistance. Key properties of superconductors include having virtually zero resistance below the critical temperature, and the critical temperature decreasing with the addition of impurities. Superconductors also expel all magnetic fields from their interior, known as the Meissner effect. They can maintain persistent currents without resistance when formed into rings or coils. Strong magnetic fields or high current densities can destroy the superconducting state. Superconductors have many applications due to these unique properties.

Uploaded by

DRISTIE KALITA
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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AN INTRODUCTION TO

SUPERCONDUCTORS AND IT’S


PROPERTIES

Presented by-
Dristie Kalita
MSc Chemistry 2nd yr.
INTRODUCTION

 In year 1911, H.Kramer Lingh


was working with mercury
 He observed that at 4.2 K, the
resistance of Hg becomes zero

 Superconductor is a material which shows zero resistance


 Below a certain temperature, it shows this property called superconductivity
 This temperature is known as critical temperature
 Above critical temperature the material is in normal state
 Below critical temperature the material is in superconducting state.
 28 metals display superconductivity, T< 10 K

 Intermetallics and alloys , T < 20 K

 Ceramics, T < 90 K (1986)


PROPERTIES OF SUPERCONDUCTORS

1. Electrical resistance: Virtually zero electrical resistance


2. Effect of impurity: When some amount of impurities are added to a
superconducting material, the value of it’s critical temperature decreases.
3. Effect of stress and pressure: On increasing pressure on certain materials
like Caesium, it starts showing superconducting behaviour.
The critical temperature of caesium Tc= 1.5 K, on applying a pressure of 110 kilo
bar
4. Persistent Current:
 When the current flows through a superconducting material ring below Tc, then
the loss in current value in form of heat is negligible
 No loss in energy conduction due to extremely less resistance
 Hence the current flows through the ring for a long time
 The constant flow of current in a superconducting ring without any potential
applied is called the persistent current.
5. Effect of magnetic field:

 When a strong magnetic field is applied to a superconductor below it’s critical


temperature, the material loses it’s superconducting state.
 The minimum magnetic field which is required to destroy the superconducting state
is called the critical magnetic field Hc

Hc=H0[1-(T/Tc)2]
Hc= critical field at T
H0= critical field strength at T= 0 K
Tc= critical temperature
Meissner effect:

 Superconductors are perfectly diamagnetic (Meissner)


 Perfectly diamagnetic means the magnetic induction B
inside the superconductor is always zero in superconducting
state
 Complete rejection of all the magnetic field by a
superconducting material is called Meissner effect
6. Critical current Ic or critical current density Jc:

 The current density at which the superconductor properties


disappear is called critical current density Jc
When the current density flowing through a superconductor
increases more than critical current density value Jc, the
material comes to normal state and superconducting
properties disappear
 When the current flowing through a superconducting
material increases, the magnetic field generated
around the superconductor also increases
7. Isotope effect:
This effect was discovered by Maxwell and Reynold in 1950-51

 For superconducting materials, the critical temperature is inversely proportional to


the square root of isotopic mass M.
Tc ∝ 1/√M
APPLICATIONS OF SUPERCONDUCTORS
THANK YOU!

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