20-000001128: Emerging Nanomaterials-based Routes to High Temperature Superconductivity
Abstract
Approved for Public ReleaseThis research uses transient pressurization of carbon and boron-based nanomaterials to achieve High Temperature Superconductivity (HTSC). The research is a joint project with the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) and Yale University. Researchers at Yale university will synthesize the nanomaterials and researchers at NRL will characterize the electrical and magnetic properties. We will both collaborate on optimizing the materials by developing structure property relationships. This work is motivated by the need for a nontoxic, high current density, high critical temperature HTSC material. Currently, Naval HTS (high temperature superconducting) systems use YBa2Cu3O7-delta (YBCO) with a Tc of ~90K. While there are HTS cuprates with Tc over 100K, they either have poor critical current densities at useful operating temperatures, thus rendering them useless for most applications, or they contain toxic elements like Tl or Hg, or both. The cuprates are also brittle and difficult to form into wires. Having materials that become superconducting at higher temperatures would be of significant value to future energy sustainability.The first system we will study is the confinement of hydrogen sulfide between graphene oxide sheets. Many investigators have shown that hydrides subjected to ultra-high pressures near those found in the earth s core are HTSCs. This is fundamentally interesting, but not of practical value, as maintaining these pressures would not be possible. In the graphene oxide system we will study a means of using confinement and one-time exposure to ultra high pressure to cause phase transitions that could lead to high temperature superconductivity. We have shown that the presence of the confining carbon layer helps to maintain H2S structures formed at high pressures so that continuous ultra-high pressures may not be needed. The second system we will address will be zinc boron materials. Zinc diboride has been theorizedto be a HTSC. This material has not yet been reported in synthesis as it has been reported to require high pressures to synthesize.We will use both solution and plasma-based syntheses to produce nanomaterials with high surface area between the zinc and boron phases. We will then react these materials at pressures up to 30GPa in Yale s geology facility. These will then be characterized using a superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) magnetometer at NRL. Magneto-electronic transport studies will then be conducted on promising samples at NRLHaving the joint collaboration between Yale University and the Naval Research Lab researchers means that the work will both have a fundamental underpinning and attention to practical applications.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Apr 06, 2021
- Source ID
- N000142112131
Entities
People
- Lisa Pfefferle
Organizations
- Office of Naval Research
- United States Navy
- Yale University