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Claim of Superconductivity Above 0C

nextbigfuture.com

11–20 of 35 posts

Re: Claim of Superconductivity Above 0C

#11
post #7

Out of curiosity is "superconductivity" an "all or nothing" phenomenon? ie. Is there such a thing as semi-superconductive?

Wouldnt that be just "conductive" ? For the usual metals resistance does go down with temperature, but they wouldnt hit zero at zero K.

p.s. I am aware that the article talks about O C and not 0 K.

Re: Claim of Superconductivity Above 0C

#12
"This discovery is being released into the public domain without patent protection in order to encourage additional research. "

Think of the thousands (millions?) of useless patents that are created for no other purpose than to extract monetary gain, at the cost of slowing down economic and technological growth, and read through the details of this detailed process that has been released for all to improve on.

Re: Claim of Superconductivity Above 0C

#13
post #7

Out of curiosity is "superconductivity" an "all or nothing" phenomenon? ie. Is there such a thing as semi-superconductive?

It sounds like you're asking asking whether some regions of a sample could be superconducting while others are normal phase. This can occur in heterogeneous materials as in a Josephson's junction. Pretty cool stuff when you look at it. An unknown 23 yr old grad student faced down a two-time Nobel prize winner and was right!

Re: Claim of Superconductivity Above 0C

#14
post #5

As a lapsed superconductivity physicist, I hate to burst the bubble. In the community there has been a long-standing joke about USOs, Unidentified Superconducting Objects, and it is well known that just because you see "Signs of Superconductivity" does not prove that something is superconducting. There are really three questions at hand: 1> Does the sample show the Meissner effect, 2> Does it show zero resistance, an…

I agree and I remember the days of being a grad student and scouring the pages of High Tc Update looking for the next super-material. It seemed like every other quarter there was a hint of room T superconductivity and it was always dashed by the next quarter.

Re: Claim of Superconductivity Above 0C

#15
I'm somewhat ignorant of superconductors. I know that it's a material that has zero electrical resistance, so a current flowing along a loop of superconductive material will flow forever, or something like that. But what are the implications of finding a superconductive material over 0C, other than it's really cool to play with?

Re: Claim of Superconductivity Above 0C

#16
post #6

I'll believe it when it's peer reviewed and reproduced.

It has been reproduced and journallized by Sharif University in Iran. It looks legit, but his spec sheet does indicate that there are problems with commercialisation. http://www.superconductors.org/276K.htm indicates how to reproduce and what results to expect. A regular freezer can sustain -5C to 5C. An ammonia freezer can go as low as -27C, so 3C is easy to hold. And the fact that he has been known for good results…

Other claims that the author has previously made have allegedly been reproduced/explained by a group from Sharif University in Iran.

Re: Claim of Superconductivity Above 0C

#17

I'm somewhat ignorant of superconductors. I know that it's a material that has zero electrical resistance, so a current flowing along a loop of superconductive material will flow forever, or something like that. But what are the implications of finding a superconductive material over 0C, other than it's really cool to play with?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superconductor#Applications

No offense intended but it definitely is a more complete list than what I could come up with off the top of my head. There's a wide variety of very practical applications, if a practical one can be found.

It should also be noted that while "room temperature" is the holy grail, there's a gradient of practicality that ranges along the necessary refrigeration technology. Even a superconductor that only require conventional refrigeration (ie, no liquid nitrogen or helium involved) could be put to good use, if it can be made practical in all necessary ways.

Re: Claim of Superconductivity Above 0C

#18

I'm somewhat ignorant of superconductors. I know that it's a material that has zero electrical resistance, so a current flowing along a loop of superconductive material will flow forever, or something like that. But what are the implications of finding a superconductive material over 0C, other than it's really cool to play with?

If it works, you could use it for power transmission. You could put a ring around the globe, and have 24 hour solar power. Actually, wind would be better, but it's the same kind of deal.

Re: Claim of Superconductivity Above 0C

#19
post #8
post #4

I want to believe this so bad. I'm just ... leery of one-man research being published on a blog.

Then, too, I also badly want to believe in the concept of one-man research published on a blog.

Sorry to burst your bubble, but I have to ask: why?

I believe a great deal in the capability of individuals to accomplish great things, but I don't care how ingenious the methods, how confident the claims, how insightful the theory... I want to see science as a group activity.

Because no matter how good you are, you need replication and criticism, and constant skeptical feedback. I'm not saying it's impossible to get that by yourself, but I certainly don't believe in it so much.

Re: Claim of Superconductivity Above 0C

#20
post #19
post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Then, too, I also badly want to believe in the concept of one-man research published on a blog.

Sorry to burst your bubble, but I have to ask: why? I believe a great deal in the capability of individuals to accomplish great things, but I don't care how ingenious the methods, how confident the claims, how insightful the theory... I want to see science as a group activity. Because no matter how good you are, you need replication and criticism, and constant skeptical feedback. I'm not saying it's impossible to get…

I believe his point was that research published by a single researcher on a blog is sketchy, and that he wishes that scientific discoveries could be done by individuals. If the researcher in question can provide proof of their claim, then normal peer review will happen.
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