NZ leads way in high temp superconductors

Monday, 8 February 2010, 5:16 pm
Press Release: Science Media Centre

NZ leads way in high temp superconductors

This week, the 18th International Superconductivity Industry Summit (ISIS-18) will take place in Wellington. The Summit brings together various companies - both local and international - involved in the commercialisation of high temperature superconductors: a technology with implications for power generation, electronics, and mass transportation, and in which New Zealand has significant involvement.

Superconductivity has been with us for a century. When cooled to only a few degrees about absolute zero, certain metals become superconductive - that is, they have no electrical resistance, and no internal magnetic field. This property of metals is used to construct superconducting magnets - some of the most powerful types of electromagnet known. Well known examples of such magnets include MRI and NMR machines, and some of the magnets used in particle accelerators.

In the last 20 years, however, scientists have begun developing a new kind of superconductor - whereas the traditional 'low temperature' (LTS) type need to be at temperatures of -270 C and cooled with liquid helium, new 'high temperature' superconductors (HTS) can conduct at (a relatively high) -200 C with the aid of liquid nitrogen.

The advance has caused a great deal of excitement due to the potential for increased efficiency and aesthetic appeal of electricity/power transmission, improvement of mass transportation motors (with many benefits), and improved communications.

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In addition, New Zealand has been at the forefront of the technology's development, and New Zealand companies involved in its commercialisation could potentially become powerful export earners for New Zealand.

For more background, see this Sciblogs post by Dr Shaun Hendy.

The SMC spoke to some of those involved in the conference, and gathered their comment on the implications of HTS and what it means for New Zealand.

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