Oxide Superconducting Wire with Metal Stabilization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Oxide superconducting wires face issues such as quenching due to defects, reduced mechanical strength, moisture deterioration, and ineffective current bypassing when thinned or divided into fragments, leading to decreased energy efficiency and magnetic field instability.
Innovation Solution
A laminate structure comprising a base material, an intermediate layer with controlled orientation, and an oxide superconducting layer with non-orientation regions, covered by a metal layer that functions as a current bypass and protects against moisture, enhancing mechanical strength and preventing quenching.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If the oxide superconducting layer is thinned or divided into fragments, then shielding currents and magnetization losses are reduced, but the wire becomes more susceptible to quenching due to defects and reduced mechanical strength
Solution Approach 1:
The oxide superconducting layer is divided into multiple thin filaments (each 1-10 μm thick) arranged in parallel within the laminate. This segmentation reduces shielding currents and magnetization losses while the distributed structure prevents catastrophic quenching, as defects in one filament do not affect others
Solution Approach 2:
The invention creates a composite structure combining the oxide superconducting layer with metal stabilizing layers (Ag, Au, Cu, or alloys) and dielectric layers. This composite laminate provides both the superconducting functionality and the mechanical strength + quench resistance that thin superconducting layers alone would lack
2Loss of energy
If the oxide superconducting layer is thinned or divided, then alternating-current losses are reduced, but the mechanical strength of the wire decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The superconducting layer is segmented into multiple thin filaments that can flex and deform independently under mechanical stress, reducing stress concentration and improving overall wire flexibility and strength despite individual filament thinning
Solution Approach 2:
Metal stabilizing layers with high mechanical strength (Ag, Au, Cu, or their alloys) are integrated into the laminate structure to provide mechanical support and reinforcement to the thin superconducting filaments, maintaining overall wire strength while allowing thin superconducting sections
3Manufacturing precision
If grooves are formed to divide the oxide superconducting layer, then the layer is successfully fragmented, but the substrate may be damaged and wire strength decreases
Solution Approach 1:
Grooves are formed in the metal stabilizing layer or substrate before depositing the oxide superconducting layer, so that the superconducting material naturally forms separated sections over the grooves without requiring post-deposition mechanical cutting that would damage the substrate
Solution Approach 2:
The metal stabilizing layer serves as an intermediary that facilitates the division process - grooves are formed in this robust metal layer rather than directly in the brittle oxide superconducting layer or substrate, preventing damage to the substrate while achieving precise filament separation
4Loss of energy
If the oxide superconducting layer is thinned, then shielding currents are reduced, but the side surface becomes exposed to moisture causing deterioration
Solution Approach 1:
A dielectric layer (such as Al2O3, SiO2, or polymer coatings) is deposited as a protective thin film over the oxide superconducting layer and metal stabilizing layers, sealing the side surfaces and preventing moisture ingress while maintaining the thin-section benefits
Solution Approach 2:
The laminate structure combines multiple materials including moisture-barrier dielectric layers that protect the thin superconducting sections from environmental degradation, allowing the wire to maintain both thin dimensions and environmental stability
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The metal layer effectively limits the impact of defects, maintains mechanical strength, prevents moisture-induced deterioration, and ensures reliable current bypassing, even when the wire is divided into thin filaments, thereby improving energy efficiency and magnetic field stability.
Implementation Method 1
a metal layer which covers at least a front surface and side surfaces of the oxide superconducting layer in the laminate
Implementation Method 2
the oxide superconducting layer having a crystal orientation controlled by the intermediate layer
Implementation Method 3
RE-123-based oxide superconductors (REBa2Cu3O7-x: RE represents rare earth elements including Y) exhibit superconductivity at the temperature of liquid nitrogen
Implementation Method 4
When a magnetic field component, which varies in a direction perpendicular to the surface over time, is applied to an oxide superconducting wire, loop-like shielding currents flow in the surface of an oxide superconducting layer
Data Source
AI summary
An oxide superconducting wire, includes a laminate including a base material, an intermediate layer, and an oxide superconducting layer, the intermediate layer being laminated on a main surface of the base material, the intermediate layer being constituted of one or more layers having an orientation, the intermediate layer having one or more first non-orientation regions extending in a longitudinal direction of the base material, the oxide superconducting layer being laminated on the intermediate layer, the oxide superconducting layer having a crystal orientation controlled by the intermediate layer, the oxide superconducting layer having second non-orientation regions located on the first non-orientation regions, and a metal layer which covers at least a front surface and side surfaces of the oxide superconducting layer in the laminate.