4 ms·

Less lossy energy transmission, storage, use, etc.

by 55555 3y ago

mytailorisrich 3y ago
A lot of these applications depend on properties beyond superconductivity. For instance, if the substance is rigid and brittle it cannot be used for cables, etc. My hope is that, if LK-99 is proven to be superconducting, once the mechanism is understood it will spur the discovery of a whole bunch of new superconductors at room temperature and pressue.
- cmrdporcupine 3y ago
  Indeed it sounds like LK-99 specifically is not something we'd want used for power transmission lines. From a difficulty of manufacturing POV (aka cost), and from the nature of the material (more of a ceramic from what I hear?) but also because it's composed with lead. At this point in civilization, we know better than to string lead stuff all over the place in unconstrained scenarios. Anything built with lead should not be ending up in areas where it will not be contained and maintained professionally,, and surely should not be going into the general consumer waste stream at all. Seems like the most compelling applications will be in MRI machines, and then within power generation, specialized super computing, etc.
  - i_cannot_hack 3y ago
    Lead is already a commonly used material in the sheath for medium and high voltage cables[1]. It is not considered a problem for industrial applications, where proper disposal of the cable at end of life is regulated, as far as I know. [1] https://www.htwirecable.com/products/cables-by-type/medium-voltage/lead-sheathed.html https://www.htwirecable.com/products/cables-by-type/medium-v...
  - cubefox 3y ago
    I think for computers we want semiconductors, not superconductors.
- cryptonector 3y ago
  The thing is that LK-99 -if real, still a big if- opens a new materials science sub-field where we can expect significant improvements over LK-99. So even if LK-99 is not practical for some applications of superconductors, that wouldn't rule out development of new materials that are practical superconductors.

Less lossy energy transmission, storage, use, etc.

by 55555 3y ago

Less lossy energy transmission, storage, use, etc.

A lot of these applications depend on properties beyond superconductivity. For instance, if the substance is rigid and brittle it cannot be used for cables, etc. My hope is that, if LK-99 is proven to be superconducting, once the mechanism is understood it will spur the discovery of a whole bunch of new superconductors at room temperature and pressue.

cmrdporcupine 3y ago
Indeed it sounds like LK-99 specifically is not something we'd want used for power transmission lines. From a difficulty of manufacturing POV (aka cost), and from the nature of the material (more of a ceramic from what I hear?) but also because it's composed with lead. At this point in civilization, we know better than to string lead stuff all over the place in unconstrained scenarios. Anything built with lead should not be ending up in areas where it will not be contained and maintained professionally,, and surely should not be going into the general consumer waste stream at all. Seems like the most compelling applications will be in MRI machines, and then within power generation, specialized super computing, etc.
- i_cannot_hack 3y ago
  Lead is already a commonly used material in the sheath for medium and high voltage cables[1]. It is not considered a problem for industrial applications, where proper disposal of the cable at end of life is regulated, as far as I know. [1] https://www.htwirecable.com/products/cables-by-type/medium-voltage/lead-sheathed.html https://www.htwirecable.com/products/cables-by-type/medium-v...
- cubefox 3y ago
  I think for computers we want semiconductors, not superconductors.
cryptonector 3y ago
The thing is that LK-99 -if real, still a big if- opens a new materials science sub-field where we can expect significant improvements over LK-99. So even if LK-99 is not practical for some applications of superconductors, that wouldn't rule out development of new materials that are practical superconductors.