(Press-News.org) PULLMAN, Wash.—A study led by Washington State University researchers has turned a fairly common non-metallic solvent into a superconductor capable of transmitting electrical current with none of the resistance seen in conventional conductors.
"It is an important discovery that will attract a lot of attention from many scientific communities—physics, chemistry, and materials science," said Choong-Shik Yoo, a professor of chemistry and Institute for Shock Physics. The National Science Foundation-funded discovery, which grows out of research by Yoo doctoral student Ranga Dias, appears in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The field of superconductivity has a wide variety of potentially revolutionary applications, including powerful electromagnets, vehicle propulsion, power storage and vastly more efficient power transmission.
Three years ago, Yoo used super-high pressures similar to those found deep in the Earth to turn a white crystal into a "super battery," or what he called "the most condensed form of energy storage outside of nuclear energy."
This time, Yoo saw how carbon disulfide subjected to high pressure and cold started to act like a metal, taking on properties like magnetism, a high energy density, and superhardness as its molecules reassembled in three-dimensional structures like those found in diamonds.
Typically, non-metallic molecules are too far apart from each other–three times farther apart than metal molecules—for electrical energy to move across them. But Yoo and his colleagues, including researchers at the Carnegie Institution of Washington, compressed the compound in the small, compact space of a diamond anvil cell to 50,000 atmospheres, a pressure equivalent to that found 600 miles into the Earth. They also chilled the compound to 6.5 degrees Kelvin, or nearly -447 F.
The pressure and temperature not only brought the carbon disulfide molecules together but rearranged them into a lattice structure in which the natural vibrations of the molecules can help electrons move so well the material becomes a resistance-free superconductor.
Yoo's research provides new insight into how superconductivity works in unconventional materials, an area that has intrigued scientists for several decades, he says. These unconventional materials are typically made of atoms with lower atomic weights that let them vibrate at higher frequencies, increasing their potential as superconductors at higher temperatures.
Yoo acknowledges that electronic materials are not about to be cooled to near absolute zero or subjected to extreme pressures. But he said this work could point the way to creating similar properties under more ordinary conditions, much as science paved the way to make synthetic diamonds at lower temperatures and pressures.
"This research will provide the vehicle for people to be clever in developing superconductors by understanding the fundamentals that guide them," said Yoo.
### END
WSU researchers create superconductor from solvent
Research opens up new understanding of phenomenon
2013-07-02
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Improving crop yields in a world of extreme weather events
2013-07-02
RIVERSIDE, Calif. — Farmers in the United States witnessed record-breaking extremes in temperature and drought during the last two summers, causing worldwide increases in the costs of food, feed and fiber. Indeed, many climate scientists caution that extreme weather events resulting from climate change is the new normal for farmers in North America and elsewhere, requiring novel agricultural strategies to prevent crop losses.
Now a research team led by Sean Cutler, a plant cell biologist at the University of California, Riverside, has found a new drought-protecting chemical ...
Age affects how married couples handle conflict
2013-07-02
SAN FRANCISCO, July 1, 2013 -- Arguing with your spouse about where to go on vacation or how to handle the kids? As you age, you may find yourself handling these disagreements more often by changing the subject, according to a new San Francisco State University study.
The study by Sarah Holley, SF State assistant professor of psychology who directs the University's Relationships, Emotion and Health Lab, followed 127 middle-aged and older long-term married couples across 13 years, checking in to see how they communicated about conflicts from housework to finances. The researchers ...
Hearing loss from loud blasts may be treatable, Stanford researchers say
2013-07-02
STANFORD, Calif. — Long-term hearing loss from loud explosions, such as blasts from roadside bombs, may not be as irreversible as previously thought, according to a new study by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine.
Using a mouse model, the study found that loud blasts actually cause hair-cell and nerve-cell damage, rather than structural damage, to the cochlea, which is the auditory portion of the inner ear. This could be good news for the millions of soldiers and civilians who, after surviving these often devastating bombs, suffer long-term hearing ...
Study suggests quality initiatives needed to reduce repeat lipid testing
2013-07-02
An analysis of patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) who attained low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) goals with no treatment intensification suggests that about one-third of them underwent repeat testing, according to a report published by JAMA Internal Medicine, a JAMA Network publication.
The authors note in the study background that the frequency and correlates of repeat lipid testing in patients with CHD who have already achieved Adult Treatment Panel III guideline-recommended LDL-C treatment targets and received no treatment intensification are unknown. ...
The effect on work loss of different treatments for rheumatoid arthritis
2013-07-02
Treatment with a biological agent was not superior to conventional treatment in terms of the effect on work loss over 21 months in patients with early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who responded insufficiently to methotrexate, according to a report published by JAMA Internal Medicine, a JAMA Network publication.
The introduction of biological tumor necrosis factor inhibitors has improved the treatment of RA but at a substantial cost, according to the study background.
From a randomized clinical trial, Jonas K. Eriksson, M.Sc., of the Karolinska Institutet, Sweden, and colleagues ...
Exercise-induced improvements in glycemic control and type 2 diabetes
2013-07-02
Exercise-induced improvements in glycemic control are dependent on the pre-training glycemic level, and although moderate-intensity aerobic exercise can improve glycemic control, individuals with ambient hyperglycemia (high blood glucose) are more likely to be nonresponders, according to a research letter by Thomas P. J. Solomon, Ph.D. of the Centre of Inflammation and Metabolism, Copenhagen, Denmark, and colleagues.
A total of 105 older (average age 61 years), overweight or obese individuals with impaired glucose tolerance or type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) participated ...
Vital sign collection based on patient risk for clinical deterioration
2013-07-02
Nighttime frequency of vital signs monitoring for low-risk medical inpatients might be reduced, according to a research letter by Jordan C. Yoder, B.A. and colleagues at the University of Chicago.
Overnight vital signs are collected frequently among hospitalized patients regardless of their risk of clinical deterioration and these vital checks may have negative effects on low-risk patients such as patient distress and sleep deprivation, according to the study.
In total, 54,096 patients were included in the study, accounting for 182,828 patient-days and 1,699 adverse ...
Early childhood respiratory infections may be potential risk factor for type 1 diabetes mellitus
2013-07-02
Respiratory infections in early childhood may be a potential risk factor for developing type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1D), according to a study published by JAMA Pediatrics, a JAMA Network publication.
The incidence of T1D is increasing worldwide, although its etiology is not well understood. Infections have been discussed as an important environmental determinant, according to the study background.
Andreas Beyerlein, Ph.D., from the Institute of Diabetes Research, Munich, Germany, and colleagues sought to determine whether early, short-term or cumulative exposures to ...
New generation electronic games boosts kids' physical activity at home
2013-07-02
Most electronic games are no better than watching TV in terms of the body movement and energy expenditure involved, say the authors. Kids in developed countries spend an estimated 38 to 90 minutes a day playing these games.
But what has not been clear is whether the newer generation "active" games, such as Sony PlayStation EyeToy and Move, dance mats, and Microsoft Xbox Kinect, are any better.
The Australian researchers compared the impact of removing traditional electronic games, involving a game pad, from the home or replacing them with more active newer generation ...
1 in 5 UK NHS staff report bullying by colleagues
2013-07-02
One in five UK NHS staff report bullying by colleagues, with almost half saying they have witnessed bullying, in the past six months, indicates research published in the online journal BMJ Open.
Managers are the most common source of bullying, with workload pressures and organisational culture contributory factors, the study reveals.
The findings are based on the responses of almost 3000 NHS staff (46% response rate) to a validated questionnaire (NAQ-R), designed to tease out exposure to negative and bullying behaviours. The 12 item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
Skin-penetrating nematodes have a love-hate relationship with carbon dioxide
Fewer than 1% of U.S. clinical drug trials enroll pregnant participants, study finds
A global majority trusts scientists, wants them to have greater role in policymaking, study finds
Transforming China’s food system: Healthy diets lead the way
Time to boost cancer vaccine work, declare UK researchers
Colorado State receives $326M from DOE/EPA to improve oil and gas operations and reduce methane emissions
Research assesses how infertility treatments can affect family and work relationships
New findings shed light on cell health: Key insights into the recycling process inside cells
Human papillomavirus infection kinetics revealed in new longitudinal study
Antibiotics modulate E. coli’s resistance to phages
Building sentence structure may be language-specific
Biotin may shield brain from manganese-induced damage, study finds
Treatment for children with obesity has lasting effect
Spotted hyena found in Egypt for the first time in 5,000 years
SignGPT – Project awarded £8.45m to build a sign language AI model for the Deaf community
Garden ponds: Hidden gems of urban biodiversity conservation
Epigenetic aging and DNA-methylation as tumor markers for breast cancer
Salt deposit ring inside your pasta pan?
First fast radio burst traced to old, dead, elliptical galaxy
We can make fertilizer more efficiently under the surface of the Earth
What's behind preterm birth? Scientists just found a big clue
The importance of eco-friendly sensors in global food supply
Brain immune cells may also be from Mars and Venus
Effect of pediatric obesity treatment on long-term health
Factors associated with semaglutide initiation among adults with obesity
Ten group leaders awarded EMBO Installation Grants
Telephone therapy reduces fatigue interference with activities, mood and cognition for metastatic breast cancer survivors
COPD is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States
Mass shootings increase alcohol sales
Peptides to clean up microplastics
[Press-News.org] WSU researchers create superconductor from solventResearch opens up new understanding of phenomenon