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Old 14-April-2008, 04:09 PM
DyerWolf DyerWolf is offline
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Default Super-Insulator discovered & Magnetically immune superconductor

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Superinsulators are not something one often reads about. There were no known such materials, in fact, until researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory produced one. A superinsulator, just as it sounds, works in exactly the opposite manner as a superconductor – very minimal to no current will pass through it.

The researchers found that a certain material, a thin film of titanium nitride, experienced a resistance increase of 100,000 percent as its temperature or the external magnetic field dropped below a certain threshold. ...

...

In the future, superconducting and superinsulating materials could be combined to create a perfect theoretical self-sustaining circuit, high current transmission lines with no leakage, or high performance batteries just to name a few. A viable material with acceptable production costs would likely harbinger a revolution in electrical devices of all kinds and industries.
Interesting discovery. I posted a question a while back about whether there was a way to magnetically shield something (can't find the post)- might this work?


ETA - on a similar note:

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(See below)
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Last edited by DyerWolf; 03-June-2008 at 03:44 PM.. Reason: Newly discovered similar topic
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Old 14-April-2008, 04:13 PM
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Very interesting. I found this particularly interesting...
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The group found that the difference between superconducting and superinsulating materials in this case is dependent on the thickness of the film. Several materials aside from titanium nitride also act in this manner, though none at room temperature.
So with the same material, you could deposit superconducting and superinsulating layers, depending on how thick you make the film. The might lead to some very interesting devices.
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Old 14-April-2008, 04:22 PM
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So with the same material, you could deposit superconducting and superinsulating layers, depending on how thick you make the film. The might lead to some very interesting devices.
What would a superconducting layer applied to a superinsulating layer be? Both? or one of them?
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Old 14-April-2008, 05:20 PM
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I posted a question a while back about whether there was a way to magnetically shield something (can't find the post)- might this work?
Probably: Magnetic "shield" - is there something that blocks magnetic forces?

Offhand, I don't expect a superinsulator would serve as a magnetic shield. I my limited experience, ordinary insulators don't seem to interfere with magnetic fields. A superinsulator would probably just give you more of nothing.
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Old 14-April-2008, 08:48 PM
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Wait. I thought superconductors were the perfect magnetic shields due to the Meissner effect?
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Old 15-April-2008, 01:12 AM
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Hey, this is awesome! Think of capacitors with no leakage! You could electrocute yourself years after you've unplugged something!
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Old 15-April-2008, 02:34 PM
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That's looking on the bright side!
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Old 15-April-2008, 07:44 PM
Abelian Grape Abelian Grape is offline
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Hey, this is awesome! Think of capacitors with no leakage! You could electrocute yourself years after you've unplugged something!
Yeah, assuming there's nothing else in the circuit (like a bleeder resistor) across it. You know of any circuits like that?
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Old 15-April-2008, 08:29 PM
Stuart van Onselen Stuart van Onselen is offline
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My fingers have discovered a circuit like that!

Waaay back at 'varsity, I was trying to move a rather large monitor. As I picked up the power cord to put it on the trolley, my fingers touched the pins of the plug, and I got enough of a shock to be, well, shocked!
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Old 15-April-2008, 09:57 PM
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Yeah, assuming there's nothing else in the circuit (like a bleeder resistor) across it. You know of any circuits like that?
Sure, the power supply of pretty much every old tube amp I've ever worked on. There's usually several large filter caps (100µF or less, 450 to 600V) whose only discharge path is through the hapless repairman.
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Old 15-April-2008, 11:05 PM
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Originally Posted by Stuart van Onselen View Post
My fingers have discovered a circuit like that!

Waaay back at 'varsity, I was trying to move a rather large monitor. As I picked up the power cord to put it on the trolley, my fingers touched the pins of the plug, and I got enough of a shock to be, well, shocked!
Same thing happened to me once when I grabbed the back of a waveform monitor. Knocked me flat on my fanny...very much like being tazed.
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Old 17-April-2008, 08:15 PM
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Here is a press release webpage from Argonne National Lab, which was part of the research team
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Old 03-June-2008, 02:02 PM
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Default Iron superconductor virtually immune to magnetism

Here's another interesting find:

Scientists Find Superconductor that is Virtually Immune to Magnetism

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The new class of materials discovered may eliminate one of the traditional weaknesses of superconductors...


...The other two lesser known limitations of superconductors are high current and magnetism. At high current, superconductors can cease to function properly. Magnetic fields are particularly deadly to superconductors. Typically, even a small magnet field will revert a superconductor back to a normal conductor.

A new breakthrough from scientists has found a unique class of superconductors which seem to be amazingly almost completely immune to magnetism. This is a significant breakthrough as it could remove one of the largest obstacles to commercializing superconducting.
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Old 30-June-2008, 09:03 PM
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Hey, this is awesome! Think of capacitors with no leakage! You could electrocute yourself years after you've unplugged something!
And my Dad warned me about the old TV sets...
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