Superperconductors, Their History and Applications

The phenomenon of zero resistance below certain low temperature (critical temperature) leads to limitless current which implies that no dissipation in electrical energy for this occurrence. This property is immediately followed by expulsion of magnetic field from the interior of a material if this material is placed in external magnetic while it is below this low temperature. Materials that have these unique properties when they are below their critical temperature are superconductor materials which were discovered in 1911 by famous Dutch physicist H. K. Onnes. In addition to the above mentioned properties, superconductors have many exceptional positive properties and thus have excellent potentials for applications in every sector. The main problem of these materials is their low temperature which needs refrigerator for their applications elsewhere which is too costly compared to conventional conductors. Even though having room temperature superconductors is still a dream, if it is achieved we can extract energy from these materials with very low cost. In this review history of superconductors, their type and some of their applications have been considered. Keywords: Critical temperature; Superconductors; Zero resistance; Meissner effect; Limitless current DOI : 10.7176/APTA/77-02 Publication date :May 31 st 2019