Chapter 435 The true superconducting era!
Because Xu You hopes that this superconducting material can be used more in the field of high power.
Therefore, it must be made into strip material.
But even the precursor powder of a substance is not so easy to prepare.
However, due to the complex and the large number of elements they contain, it is difficult to prepare a high-purity phase.
Fortunately, after the strong cooperation between Xu You and Suan Jing, a detailed plan has been developed.
"In the first stage, we first use the solid phase reaction sintering method. We need to prepare these raw materials according to the required proportions and then mix them thoroughly. Ball mill for a certain period of time, then put them into a crucible and sinter them at a certain temperature."
By repeating this process many times, the sufficiency and uniformity of the reaction can theoretically be improved, making it easier to proceed to the next stage of the experiment.
The method seems simple, but many details require special attention.
The proportions of the raw materials must be very precise and within a controllable range, without the slightest error.
The temperature during sintering also needs to be strictly guaranteed. Any carelessness will result in all the previous work being in vain.
After sintering is completed, it is necessary to go through multiple processes such as co-precipitation and atomization to finally obtain the material precursor powder with a higher phase content.
After a whole month, the materials project team of Jijing University finally mastered the precursor powder preparation process of 258K superconducting materials.
By testing this material, Xu You determined that the superconducting critical temperature of this material is indeed around 258K.
This proves that Sea Island’s previous simulation of superconducting materials is highly consistent with reality.
The next step is the most critical strip preparation process.
As early as when Xu You was researching superconducting materials, the research was stalled for a long time due to problems with the tape process.
If we want superconducting materials to be widely used, tape processing can be said to be a problem that must be solved.
Xu You once again called the project team members together to explain the content of the next stage of work.
"Because 258K superconducting materials are as brittle as ceramics, we need to process them into thinner ribbons. Let me tell you the main steps below."
“First, the precursor powder of the material is loaded into a silver alloy tube with a diameter of 1 mm. The filling degree needs to be strictly controlled at around 35%, and the front and rear errors cannot exceed 0.5%.”
"Multiple silver tubes that have undergone the same operation are bundled together and placed into a large silver tube. After multiple pulling, its diameter is also reduced to 1mm."
"The silver tube is further rolled to reduce its diameter to one tenth of its previous diameter, and then placed in a furnace for heat treatment..."
There are dozens of simple steps alone, not including the various details involved in each step.
The entire process is far more complicated than the material preparation in the previous stage.
The project team went through repeated experiments and experienced countless failures.
Finally, after three months, the forming of 258K superconducting material strips was completed.
Watching the 500mm long strip being successfully processed.
The entire project team is very excited about this.
All the efforts these days have finally paid off!
"The fact that this material can be processed into a 500mm strip proves that it can be used as a superconducting cable. In the near future, we will enter the true superconducting era!"
All members of the project team know what this means.
Compared with traditional cables, superconducting cables of the same size can achieve several times the power transmission capacity.
More importantly, the superconducting critical temperature of 258K superconducting material is very high, and it does not require too much cost for refrigeration.
Once this superconducting cable becomes popular, we can achieve almost zero-cost electricity transmission!
Since the project team had been working continuously for more than four months, after the research work was completed, Xu You asked everyone to take a good rest for a few days to adjust their physical and mental state.
Xu You himself had reached a critical level of fatigue due to long-term high-intensity work.
After a good night's rest, Xu Youcai prepared to organize the project results and submit them the next day.
"Teacher, aren't you going to take a break today?"
When Xu You arrived at the laboratory, he found that Lin Shi had arrived there before him.
"Of course I don't need to rest for that long . One night's sleep is enough. But why didn't you rest for two days? You must have been very tired during this period."
Xu You knew that his energy was different from that of ordinary people.
Even I have reached my limit, so the others must have been exhausted long ago.
"Teacher, you don't need to rest. Neither do I. There is still a lot of work to be done on measuring the properties of 258K superconducting materials. We have to finish it quickly after the last project is finished."
The main properties of 258K superconducting materials have been measured. What Lin Shi said is that extremely detailed and comprehensive measurement work.
Xu You looked at Lin Shi and found that Lin Shi's mental state was indeed quite good. Unlike other members of the project team, she did not have a look of fatigue on her face.
Being able to possess extraordinary energy is also one of the essential qualities on the road of scientific research.
"Lin Shi, I'm really happy that you're working so hard . If you feel that you're fine, continue with the experiment."
"Of course it's no problem. I'm in good health. Those boys don't have as much physical strength as I do. Okay, teacher, you go ahead and do your work. I'll report the results to you after I finish my work."
Xu You spent half a day organizing the results and submitted them to his superiors.
The higher-ups attached great importance to this achievement and immediately convened an emergency meeting to discuss it.
They had never imagined that less than a year had passed since the establishment of the room-temperature superconductivity project team, and the project team had actually achieved such an important result.
Even at a temperature of 258K, it is still some distance away from the strict definition of “normal temperature”.
However, such a high superconducting critical temperature has long surpassed people's understanding of "high-temperature superconductors".
Compared to those "pseudo-room-temperature superconductors" under ultra-high pressure conditions.
This material is more worthy of being called a room-temperature superconductor.
After urgent discussions, several decisions were made.
First of all, we will immediately start mass production of 258K superconducting material strips.
Since Xu You has led the project team and carried out the research in such detail.
The actual production work will save a lot of trouble.
Secondly, there is the project planning for superconducting cables.
Previously, we have built a kilometer-level superconducting cable in Jijing as a trial operation of the superconducting cable.
After developing a new superconducting material, it is definitely necessary to carry out experimental construction and trial operation first.
