this post was submitted on 02 Aug 2023
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A superconductor would completely change how we handle electricity. It’s like a cheat code almost. I’d say most of our current electric infrastructure only exists because of the limitations of our non-superconducting materials.
Keep in mind that superconductors have a critical current below which you have to be if you want to stay in the superconductive states. So for a superconductor to be useful for energy transport, this current has to not be tiny. I haven’t had the time to read their paper so I don’t know the value of the critical current. Also if for some reason the current suddenly goes beyond the critical current, the wire will heat suddenly, with possible damage…
I didn’t know that. Thanks.
And sometimes superconducting materials are wholly impractical -- making it superconductive could make it incredibly brittle, etc. Supposedly this new material is an "apatite", which is a geological term for a kind of crystal. Who knows what properties it has, yet? Supposedly these samples were made and tested by depositing them on to a glass surface.
Assuming that the production, installation, and maintenance of this superconductor is practical. We don't know yet, this involves lead, are we going to be massively increasing lead mining? Who is going to be doing that? Will there risk of lead exposure and area poisoning if a power line is broken by a shovel?