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I wonder whether it might be possible to create a material using this and carbon nanotubes worked through it. With the idea that the nanotubes can create and h
by btilly 6y ago
I wonder whether it might be possible to create a material using this and carbon nanotubes worked through it. With the idea that the nanotubes can create and hold the pressure for the superconductor to operate.
- colechristensen 6y agoThis was achieved in a diamond anvil cell, a sample smaller than a millimeter is squeezed between two diamonds in a special apparatus. This is how you achieve world record high pressures, not even remotely in the realm of possibility for engineering a material.
- 1024core 6y agoFirst you demonstrate that it is possible. Then you make it feasible. And then you make it practical. One step at a time.
- pier25 6y agoThat sounds like writing code
- mhh__ 6y agoIt's not far off. Engineers see if it's doable for a given budget, physicists show and analyse that it's possible at all. Similar to a CS paper showing a new algorithm e.g. sorts with x% less swaps than quicksort, it might not actually lead to a performance increase on real hardware.
- whimsicalism 6y agoEh, similar (not quite as impressive) but high-temperature superconductivity had been observed with sulfur+pressure before, it's unclear how you would make that practical.
- handol 6y agoHopefully as we pile on more and more examples of different materials exhibiting superconductivity, we can understand it well enough to find a practical high temperature one. Though I think we could go a long way with the liquid nitrogen temp superconductors now on the market. It's still going to be a real chore to design around, but it's got to be a lot easier to deal with liquid N2 than liquid He.
- postalrat 6y agoYou find some sort of physics that do most of the work for you.
- btilly 6y agoThe bulk modulus of superhard phase nanotubes is 462 to 546 GPa, even higher than that of diamond. Engineering a wire under pressure whose whole length is compressed by a structure made out of carbon nanotubes is clearly difficult, but seems theoretically possible. It is very likely beyond our current engineering capabilities. But in principle it is a technology that we could try to develop. For example at low temperature you assemble a wire that has a high thermal coefficient of expansion down the center of the wire. Then the superconductor around that in a ring. Then a carbon nanotube sheathe around that which traps things. Then when it warms up the core squeezes the superconductor against the sheathe and you get the pressure.
- Someone 6y agoThat sounds like a very large version of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Rupert's_drop https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Rupert's_drop. When you hit one end the wire with a hammer, or drop something on it, the entire wire might explode.
- btilly 6y agoYeah. When something is under that much pressure, the failure modes tend to be..interesting.
- colechristensen 6y agoMaybe if you’re writing science fiction or have a time machine, not if you’re an engineer. For starters the bulk modulus is about deformation, not strength. Second issue is that you’d be creating explosive cable. Go watch some youtube videos of tempered glass exploding and then imagine what a material under 1000 times the pressure would look like in failure. The whole excitement about room temperature superconductors is getting rid of the difficulty of cooling, the difficulty of this pressure requirement is easily much worse.
- deleted 6y ago[deleted]