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Advanced Materials Lab | Nanoscale Science & Smart Materials Research

NANOCERAMICS-HIGH Tc MATERIALS

What are High Tc Materials?

High Tc materials, or high-temperature superconductors, are materials that can conduct electricity without any resistance at relatively higher temperatures than traditional superconductors. Here, Tc stands for “critical temperature”, which is the temperature below which a material becomes superconducting.

What Makes Them Special?

In normal superconductors (like elemental mercury), superconductivity only occurs at very low temperatures (near absolute zero, like 4 K or -269°C). But high-Tc superconductors can work at much higher temperatures, such as 77 K (-196°C) or even higher. This is important because cooling to 77 K is easier and cheaper, as liquid nitrogen (which boils at 77 K) can be used instead of expensive liquid helium.

Examples of High Tc Materials:

  1. YBCO (Yttrium Barium Copper Oxide) – Tc ≈ 92 K
    • One of the most famous high-Tc superconductors.
    • Can be cooled using liquid nitrogen.
  2. BSCCO (Bismuth Strontium Calcium Copper Oxide) – Tc ≈ 108 K
    • Another family of copper-based superconductors (cuprates).
  3. HgBa₂Ca₂Cu₃O₈ (Mercury-based cuprate) – Tc ≈ 133 K
    • Holds one of the highest known Tc values under normal pressure.

How Do High Tc Superconductors Work?

High-Tc materials are usually ceramic compounds containing copper and oxygen (cuprates). Their superconductivity comes from complex interactions between electrons in copper-oxide planes.

Unlike low-Tc superconductors, where the mechanism is well explained by BCS theory (based on electron pairing via lattice vibrations), high-Tc superconductors have more complicated and not fully understood mechanisms — possibly involving strong electron correlations.

Applications of High Tc Materials:

  • Magnetic levitation (Maglev trains)
  • Fault current limiters in power grids
  • Superconducting magnets for MRI and scientific research
  • Quantum computing and ultra-sensitive magnetic sensors (SQUIDs)

High Tc materials are special superconductors that work at higher temperatures, making them more practical for real-world technologies.

They combine the amazing ability to carry electricity without loss and operate using cheaper cooling methods, bringing superconductivity closer to everyday use.

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