How to make and test your own pieces of YBCO superconductor.
Best how-to resources for YBCO:
http://physlab.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Superconductor_manual1.pdf
http://www.futurescience.com/scpart1.html
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdf/10.1021/ed078p1182.1 -- I couldn't get this to work.
All chemical purchased on eBay.
The kiln that I used: https://www.sheffield-pottery.com/PARAGON-QUIKFIRE-6-KILN-p/pqf6.htm
Colored ferrofluid: https://www.amazon.com/Emerald-Green-Ferrofluid-60ml-Display/dp/B015WNU9NM/
Pax temperature logger: http://paxinstruments.com/products/sku927/
Keithly SMU: https://www.tek.com/keithley-source-measure-units/keithley-smu-2400-series-sourcemeter
Applied Science on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/AppliedScience
Hi ben, I have been following your content for a long time and I have been using Cryocoolers with a variac. What amperage and voltage are you typically running your cooler at? I have run mine at 15-18volts ac but have no way to monitor it. Thank you very much for posting this! Would it be possible for you to post any specifications as well? Thank you. - Collin W.
ReplyDeleteCollin, the cryocooler is rated for 140W continuous, but the original drive circuitry in the Superfilter was capable of 155W. My Variac is rated at 10 amps output, so I'd typically run the cryocooler at about 9.5A, which came out to very close to 140W of input power to the Variac. Losses in the Variac are about 5-10W.
ReplyDeleteHi Ben, have you tried microwave fabrication?
ReplyDeleteThese guys made YBaCuO with a modified chemistry. Namely: Y2O3, BaO2 and CuO (so there's extra oxygen) in a 500W domestic microwave oven. I also remember reading a followup paper a while back that used an unmodified microwave (the recipe was something like "cook on power 8 for 7 minutes", lol)
See:
http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1143/JJAP.38.L724/meta
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0955221905003389?via%3Dihub
Edit: here's the followups:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/248548019_Rapid_synthesis_of_Y-_And_BI-based_high-TC_cuprates_by_microwave_irradiation
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/243735048_Rapid_Preparation_of_YBa_2Cu_3O7-x_with_T_c_90_K_Using_a_Domestic_Microwave_Oven
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/243737060_Rapid_Preparation_of_High-Tc_Superconductors_of_the_Bi2212_Phase_Using_a_Domestic_Microwave_Oven
Abstract:
'High-Tc superconducting samples of YBa2Cu3O7-cursive Greek chi with Tc ∼ 90 K have been prepared in a short time of 25 min, using a domestic microwave oven operated at 2.45 GHz and 200 W, without any post-heat treatment. Post-heat treatment is not necessary due to improvement of the sample environment during the microwave process. That is, a pellet of mixed powders of raw materials is surrounded by mixed powders of raw matetials and subsequenty wrapped in glass wool, in order to suppress rapid dissipation of heat from the surface of the pellet. This leads to successful preparation of homogeneous and oxygenated samples of YBa2Cu3O7-cursive Greek chi.
Rapid Preparation of YBa 2Cu 3O7-x with T c ˜ 90 K Using a.... Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/243735048_Rapid_Preparation_of_YBa_2Cu_3O7-x_with_T_c_90_K_Using_a_Domestic_Microwave_Oven [accessed Apr 21 2018].'