backtop


Print 47 comment(s) - last by .. on Mar 26 at 1:50 PM


Want a room temperature superconductor? All you need is high pressure silane, according to German and Candian researchers.  (Source: Wikipedia)
Researchers claim to at last developed the holy grail of electronics-- a room temperature superconductor using common compounds

Early this year, DailyTech ran a special on the progress made in superconducting materials.  Perhaps the most important breakthrough in superconducting yet was just achieved by a team of Canadian and German researchers.  The team developed a superconducting compound, composed of hydrogen and silicon, two abundant elements, that requires no cooling.

The key to the room temperature superconductor, long thought to be a virtually unobtainable holy grail of electronics, was pressure.  The new material substitutes super cooling for super pressure, which in some materials, can have equally powerful effects inducing superconductivity.  Researchers claim that the new material needs no cooling and could be used to create room temperature superconducting wires.  Professor John Tse of the University of Saskatchewan remarked, "If you put hydrogen compounds under enough pressure, you can get superconductivity.  These new superconductors can be operated at higher temperatures, perhaps without a refrigerant."

Tse accomplished the development of theoretical side of the work with the help of doctoral candidate Yansun Yao.  The work was experimentally confirmed by researcher Mikhail Eremets at the Max Planck Institute in Germany.

The new superconductor is part of a class of compounds known as "silanes".  These compounds are silicon analogs of methane, with a Si atom in place of the C atom and four hydrogen atoms attached.  This type of compound is also known as a hydride as it has a high hydrogen concentration.  Hydrogen is extremely difficult to compress. 

For years, researchers speculated that superconductivity at room temperature might be achievable if hydrogen was properly compressed, but past attempts to compress hydrogen to the necessary level were met with failure.  The Canadian and German team states that the key to their success where others have failed is bonding the hydrogen to silicon, which aids in compression.

Tse's team now is hard at work further characterizing the silane compound's conductive properties and those of other promising hydrides, using the Canadian Light Source synchrotron.  They hope the results can be applied to many industrial applications including wiring for supercomputers.  They also see the process as possibly valuable to the hydrogen storage market for fuel cells

The German and Canadian teams were funded by the National Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, the Canada Research Chairs program, the Canada Foundation for Innovation and the Max Planck Institute.



Comments     Threshold


This article is over a month old, voting and posting comments is disabled

This is a bigger step forward for explosives
By Rob Pintwala on 3/20/2008 2:37:41 PM , Rating: 4
Silane requires approximately 100,000 atmospheres of pressure to be super conductive at room temperature. Also, Silane is highly explosive when exposed to air in a gaseous form IIRC, so silane microfibres within a highly pressurized vessel would make one hell of a bomb.




RE: This is a bigger step forward for explosives
By MrBlastman on 3/20/2008 3:02:34 PM , Rating: 2
Wait until the RIAA hears about this. The day Computers contain superconductors is the day they take DRM to the next level!

Hit the enter key... Kaboom!


By DASQ on 3/20/2008 3:15:21 PM , Rating: 3
This is not Live Free Or Die Hard.


RE: This is a bigger step forward for explosives
By UNCjigga on 3/20/2008 3:25:30 PM , Rating: 3
LOL, best quote of the article:
[q]...but past attempts to compress hydrogen to the necessary level were met with failure.[/b]
KABOOM! FAIL.


RE: This is a bigger step forward for explosives
By mezman on 3/20/2008 3:36:30 PM , Rating: 2
Haha, would that qualify as an EPIC FAIL?


By Gul Westfale on 3/20/2008 8:06:06 PM , Rating: 2
no, it would have been a FATALITY, preferably by SUBZERO.


By DeepBlue1975 on 3/20/2008 4:10:47 PM , Rating: 2
Then, when products on this are out in the market, I'd rather watch MTBF figures very closely and will make sure to sell my stuff a good amount of time before the MTBF, just in case :D


By DASQ on 3/20/2008 2:52:11 PM , Rating: 3
You know, a lot of household items, when unknowingly combined, will created relatively decent-yield explosives, toxic gas, and otherwise corrosively delicious combinations.

Perhaps adding a "safe" layer outside of the internal pressurized layer, that when combined with the gaseous silane, makes it inert? I don't know exactly what, I'm no chemistry grad.


By puffpio on 3/20/2008 4:04:41 PM , Rating: 2
It did say silane was analogous to methane

so yeah..exposing compressed fuel to air would be explosive

if i take a can of gasoline and expose the vapors coming off of it to air, it would be flammable too..


RE: This is a bigger step forward for explosives
By NickF001 on 3/20/2008 4:10:44 PM , Rating: 2
where are you getting this info? looks like silane is spontaneously combustible, that is not the same as "highly explosive"


By Rob Pintwala on 3/20/2008 7:24:29 PM , Rating: 2
My mistake. I knew it was something along those lines, hence why I said IIRC.


By JKflipflop98 on 3/21/2008 11:54:21 AM , Rating: 2
Silane gas is known as a pyroflouric class gas. This means it will instantly combust upon exposure to normal air. Silane is a commonplace substance used in semiconductor manufacturing, and has been for many years.


By AnnihilatorX on 3/20/2008 4:50:28 PM , Rating: 2
Wouldn't methane be a better alternative then?
Carbon atoms are smaller than Silicon atoms so it ought to help compress the hydrogen atoms more.


By mgambrell on 3/21/2008 4:02:40 PM , Rating: 2
Well, there are clearly more factors in play.

IANAC but heres the first thing that comes to mind: More massive molecules are going to be less kinetically disturbed at a given temperature than a lower-mass molecule. Therefore they are less likely to be angrily bouncing off of each other with high energies and thus resisting your efforts to compress.

They are also less likely to leak, etc.

There are always a million more dimensions of complexity than you first suspect!


What pressure levels?
By luhar on 3/20/2008 2:29:46 PM , Rating: 2
I don't see anywhere what level of pressure they need to apply to the material to bring out the super conducting property? I would think that it would be an important detail in getting this technology out into use.




RE: What pressure levels?
By Rob Pintwala on 3/20/2008 2:38:34 PM , Rating: 2
100-125 GPa is the range used. 100 GPa is approximately 998,000 atms.


RE: What pressure levels?
By amanojaku on 3/20/2008 2:46:22 PM , Rating: 2
Hell, then this technology is going to be easy to mass produce. We just need to get a few Times Square hookers and Girls Gone Wild stars to supply the pressure and...


RE: What pressure levels?
By Chernobyl68 on 3/20/2008 4:19:08 PM , Rating: 2
yeah, I tend to agree. they've traded one difficult problem for an insurmountable one. I'm trying to visualize how a high pressure wire is going to work.


RE: What pressure levels?
By FITCamaro on 3/20/2008 2:47:41 PM , Rating: 2
o.O

Thats a lot of pressure. Does the material have to be kept under that pressure or just formed at that pressure?


RE: What pressure levels?
By Xodus Maximus on 3/20/2008 3:18:18 PM , Rating: 2
Correct me if I am wrong but from the original article, this part
quote:
...using the Canadian Light Source synchrotron to characterize the high pressure structures of silane...
leads me to understand that silane has to be kept under this huge pressure to retain its superconductive properties, which is why they are using a synchotron to try and create a molecular structure that can keep the material under such pressure permanently.


RE: What pressure levels?
By lexluthermiester on 3/20/2008 4:39:54 PM , Rating: 3
I think perhaps there is a misunderstanding of the chemistry involved here. With the formulation they've come up with, the compound is only formed under pressure and does not require pressure thereafter. Now on my part that is only a hypothesis, but given the information available about this compound, it seems very likely.

And for all of you making jokes about this being an explosive, come on, LOOK at the structure of the molecule, does that lend itself to being an explosive, let alone a high explosive?...


RE: What pressure levels?
By BobLoblaw on 3/20/2008 5:08:16 PM , Rating: 3
quote:
And for all of you making jokes about this being an explosive, come on, LOOK at the structure of the molecule, does that lend itself to being an explosive, let alone a high explosive?...
quote:


Yeah, who's ever heard of hydrogen being the basis of a bomb?


RE: What pressure levels?
By ChronoReverse on 3/20/2008 6:04:18 PM , Rating: 2
A lot of explosives are nitrogen based because of the highly energetic bonds that forms. The bonds from silicon to hydrogen aren't nearly as energetic.

With that said, this doesn't mean you can't make an explosive out of it (see fuel air bombs) just that there are easier ways.


RE: What pressure levels?
By HilbertSpace on 3/20/2008 5:55:33 PM , Rating: 2
Wrong, the material would not stay that way without the pressure being present (think of a basic phase diagram). These guys are using diamond anvil cells to achieve that kind of pressure - so the possibility for real world applications are a ways off yet!


RE: What pressure levels?
By Xodus Maximus on 3/20/2008 7:42:41 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
At room temperature, silane is a gas


it becomes superconductive at ridiculous pressure(when solid)...unless gasses were found to be superconductive while I was daydreaming...

quote:
Silane is also used in supersonic combustion ramjets to initiate combustion


meaning it can explode at high pressures, at room temperature it has no flash point...

these quotes are from Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silane

and for further reading see the actual paper pertaining to this article
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/319...

quote:
LOOK at the structure of the molecule

the structural diagram is meant to show only its structural composition, if you are "awesome" enough to determine material properties from 4 H's and a Si, please have patience with us mere mortals who can not ;)


Two things
By HaZaRd2K6 on 3/20/2008 2:33:16 PM , Rating: 2
One, what are some practical applications of this? I see they state wiring but do we really need superconducting electrical wires?

And second, it's "Max Planck" not " Plank".




RE: Two things
By TheWizardofOz on 3/20/2008 2:36:41 PM , Rating: 2
Yes we do. If this is true, there will be zero loss in electron transfer (electrical conductiviy), thus no heat production.

I hope they'll find a feasible way for mass production and everybody can benefit from this.


RE: Two things
By PlasmaBomb on 3/20/2008 3:44:13 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
Transmission and distribution losses in the USA were estimated at 7.2% in 1995
From wikipedia.

If you don't have to generate that extra power you won't have to burn so much gas/coal etc.

On a more local point, if these conductors could be developed and deployed cheaply then they could produce one large nuclear facility(they are already planning a smallish one) which would be capable of generating electricity for the entire province, and decommission the old gas and coal plants.


RE: Two things
By MrTeal on 3/20/2008 6:58:04 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
these conductors could be developed and deployed cheaply then they could produce one large nuclear facility


This is a big thing. Currently, most power is produced fairly locally. Even if this technology isn't practical to replace all distribution lines, if a core grid of superconducting wires could be implemented across North America, it would allow large facilities to be built in remote locations, and have to power transmitted to where you need it. Put up a couple large, efficient nuclear power plants up in northern Saskatchewan where water is very plentiful and a huge amount of uranium is mined, and transmit the power around the continent.

It will be interesting to see where this goes. Right now it's very much basic research. I don't think it's any more likely to be seen in the field than current low temperature superconductors. It good news though, and gives people another avenue to research.


RE: Two things
By on 3/26/2008 1:50:48 PM , Rating: 1
Die painfully okay? Prefearbly by getting crushed to death in a garbage compactor, by getting your face cut to ribbons with a pocketknife, your head cracked open with a baseball bat, your stomach sliced open and your entrails spilled out, and your eyeballs ripped out of their sockets. Fucking bitch


RE: Two things
By MrPickins on 3/20/2008 2:49:12 PM , Rating: 4
This approach seems to be as hard as supercooling. I would imagine that the energy input for compression to the necessary pressures would be close to the same order of magnitude as for cooling traditional superconductors.

Although this is a nice breakthrough, I'm not sure it's any more commercially feasible than the "old" methods.


RE: Two things
By Chernobyl68 on 3/20/2008 4:17:22 PM , Rating: 2
Wires make up everything that uses significant power. Every motor or generator stator is made up of loops of wires.
Transformers have thousands loops of wires.

What you really need are superconductors that can operate in high temperature environments though, room temperature is a misnomer. Most industrial environments do not have environmental controls; power plants, foundries, pumping stations, anyplace that has a lot of motors, pumps, transformers, etc. For cross country distribution lines that sit in the sun all day, you'd probably need something that could operate in 160 deg. F or better. Not that the air temperature gets that warm of course, but the surface of a metal object sure will.


Don't believe everything you read
By arazok on 3/20/2008 2:29:46 PM , Rating: 2
I hear the Canadians did all the hard stuff.




By HaZaRd2K6 on 3/20/2008 2:34:08 PM , Rating: 2
If you read the article, the Canadians actually did do all the "hard stuff." It was just verified by the Germans at the Max Planck Institute.


RE: Don't believe everything you read
By dice1111 on 3/20/2008 2:39:45 PM , Rating: 3
Yes, the pic should be a beer can of Molsen Canadian, not that Germen brew.


By JasonMick (blog) on 3/20/2008 2:42:50 PM , Rating: 3
Maybe the Germans are toasting to the Canadian's hard work! ;)


huh?
By barjebus on 3/20/2008 2:35:23 PM , Rating: 2
I graduated from the University of Saskatchewan with a 4 years bachelor in Comp Sci...hm never imagined they'd ever be on the map for anything important haha.




RE: huh?
By DASQ on 3/20/2008 2:44:03 PM , Rating: 2
*insert tractor and haybale jokes here*


RE: huh?
By MrTeal on 3/20/2008 6:59:59 PM , Rating: 2
The CLS is an amazing facility. There's a lot of really cool research going on there right now. I know a couple profs doing research there, and some of the stuff they're working on is mind-boggling.


Spell check
By Tsuwamono on 3/20/2008 6:39:51 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
Want a room temperature superconductor? All you need is high pressure silane, according to German and Candian researchers.


Canadian... not Candian




RE: Spell check
By Chernobyl68 on 3/20/2008 8:08:35 PM , Rating: 2
LOL

Candian: Someone who makes candy, not, as some believe, someone who lives in Canada...

:)


Pressure
By bobsmith1492 on 3/20/2008 7:17:59 PM , Rating: 2
Even at that high of a pressure, the nice thing about pressure is that it can be maintained without external energy input - pump it up at leave it there. That's assuming no leaks, though, which I think would happen at that pressure.

So is this silane material a gas, liquid, solid, or what at that pressure? A stream of ionized particles?

What kind of gas would have to surround it to pressurize without leaking current out? A noble gas of some kind - larger than helium so the tiny atoms don't leak through the container walls?




RE: Pressure
By Gatt on 3/20/2008 7:37:53 PM , Rating: 2
Completely leak free is an impossibility, there's always going to be some kind of microscopic leak.

It's a solid I would imagine.

It would require a noble gas I would assume, something inert that wouldn't steal the charge from the compound assuming that the compound is exposed to the gas. Which probably wouldn't be cheap since I don't think Nobles occur naturally.


Room Pressure Superconductor
By nstott on 3/20/2008 8:48:51 PM , Rating: 2
And now the race is on for the new "Holy Grail" of electronics: The ambient pressure superconductor! (That's also a RTSC.)




By phxfreddy on 3/21/2008 2:47:29 AM , Rating: 2
nuf said !




better uses...
By ynot56 on 3/21/2008 1:13:35 PM , Rating: 2
quote:
They also see the process as possibly valuable to the hydrogen storage market for fuel cells.


If you have a room temperature/pressure superconductor, you do not need a fuel cell.

A superconducting capacitor is one of the best energy storage devices presently envisioned.

Ynot




"I want people to see my movies in the best formats possible. For [Paramount] to deny people who have Blu-ray sucks!" -- Movie Director Michael Bay




Latest Headlines
2/10/2012 Daily Hardware Reviews
February 10, 2012, 5:50 PM
2/9/2012 Daily Hardware Reviews
February 9, 2012, 11:54 AM
2/8/2012 Daily Hardware Reviews
February 8, 2012, 1:11 PM
2/7/2012 Daily Hardware Reviews
February 7, 2012, 12:23 PM










botimage
Copyright 2012 DailyTech LLC. - RSS Feed | Advertise | About Us | Ethics | FAQ | Terms, Conditions & Privacy Information | Kristopher Kubicki