A superconductor is a material that can conduct electricity or transport electrons from one atom to another with no resistance. This means no heat; sound or any other form of energy would be released from the material when it has reached "critical temperature”, or the temperature at which the material becomes superconductive. Unfortunately, most materials must be in an extremely cold environment to become superconductive. Currently, an excessive amount of energy must be used to cool the materials down enough, making superconductors very inefficient. Superconductors come in two different versions: type I and type II. |
Type II Superconductors
A type II superconductor is made up of metallic compounds such as copper or lead. They reach a superconductive state at much higher temperatures when compared to type I superconductors. The cause of this dramatic increase in temperature is not fully understood. The highest Tc reached at standard pressure, to date, is 135 °K or -138°C by a compound (HgBa2Ca2Cu3O8) that falls into a group of superconductors known as cuprate perovskites. This group of superconductors generally has a ratio of 2 copper atoms to 3 oxygen atoms, and is considered to be a ceramic. Type II superconductors can also be penetrated by a magnetic field whereas a type I can not. 
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