A group of scientists have developed high-temperature superconducting wires that can carry 50% more current than the previous record holder.
Supervisors, materials conducting electricity without resistance, have long been considered the key to revolutionary technologies. However, their practical application has been limited due to technical difficulties. A new study may change this situation.
Of particular importance is the fact that this achievement did not require an increase in costs or complicate the production process. As approved by the authors of the invention, the new wires are made using the same methods as existing high-temperature superconductors.
Unlike classic superconductors operating at temperatures below 30 degrees Kelvin, high-temperature analogues function at temperatures above 77 K. This allows them to be cooled using relatively inexpensive cryogenic systems based on liquid nitrogen.
The advantages of superconductors over ordinary conductors are significant. The lack of energy losses when transmitting electricity opens up prospects for creating more effective electric networks. Additionally, the unique properties of superconductors make them ideal for use in powerful electromagnets.
The potential applications of the new wires are impressive. They can be used in magnetic levitation trains, advanced MRI devices, wind turbines with double the power output, and even in thermonuclear power plants.
These wires also demonstrate record current transfer indicators in a wide temperature range, from 5 to 77 K. At a temperature of 4.2 K, they can conduct a current of 190 million amperes per square centimeter without an external magnetic field. This is 50% higher than the results reported in 2022, and 100% better than the 2021 indicators.
In conditions close to those required for use in thermonuclear installations (20 K with an external magnetic field of 20 Tesla), the new wires can carry a current with a density of about 9.3 million amperes per square centimeter. This is five times more than modern commercial high-temperature superconducting wires.
Researchers also achieved record values of Pinning strength, the ability to hold magnetic vortices inside the superconductor. The development demonstrated a Pinning force of more