Superconductors

Courtesy of: Chris Heilman, Department of Chemistry, Phoenix College.

Electrical resistance, and the heat it produces, is the limiting factor of the speed of todays computer processors. Superconductors have no electrical resistance, but are only known to exist at very low temperatures. The discovery of a room-temperature superconductor would be an astonishing technological breakthrough. It would create an explosion of new technologies: microscopic supercomputers, universal translators, teleporters, faster-than-light travel, force-fields, fusion reactors, cosmic radiation shielding, free energy and anti-gravity. It would make terraforming a reality within a single generation.

Compound Transition temperature (K)
High-temperature
Hg_0.8Tl_0.2Ba₂Ca₂Cu₃O_8.33 138
HgBa₂Ca₂Cu₃O₈ 133-135
Tl₂Ba₂Ca₂Cu₃O₁₀ 125-127
HgBa₂Ca₃Cu₄O₁₀⁺ 125-126
HgBa₂Ca_1-xSr_xCu₂O₆⁺ 123-125
HgBa₂CaCu₂O₆ 123
(Tl_0.5Pb_0.5)Sr₂Ca₂Cu₃O₉ 120
TlBa₂Ca₃Cu₄O₁₁ 112
Tl₂Ba₂Ca₃Cu₄O₁₂ 112
TlBa₂Ca₂Cu₃O₉⁺ 110
Ca_1-xSr_xCuO₂ 110
Bi₂Sr₂Ca₂Cu₃O₁₀ 110
TlBa₂Ca₄Cu₅O₁₃ 107
Tl₂Ba₂Ca₄Cu₅O₁₄ 105
TlBa₂CaCu₂O₇ 103
TmBa₂Cu₃O₇ 101
Tl₂Ba₂CaCu₂O₈ 99
HgBa₂CuO₄⁺ 94-98
Tl₂Ba₂CuO₆ 70
(Tl,Pb)(CO₃)Sr₄Cu₂O₇ 70

Low-temperature
Niobium 9.25
Technetium 7.8
Lead 7.2
Vanadium 5.40
Lanthanum 4.9
Tantalum 4.47
Mercury 4.15
Tin 3.72
Indium 3.40
Thallium 1.70
Rhenium 1.697
Protactinium 1.4
Thorium 1.38
Aluminium 1.175
Gallium 1.10
Gadolinium 1.083
Molybdenum 0.915
Zinc 0.85
Osmium 0.66
Zirconium 0.61
Americium 0.6
Cadmium 0.517
Ruthenium 0.49
Titanium 0.40
Uranium 0.20
Hafnium 0.128
Iridium 0.1125
Lutetium 0.1
Beryllium 0.026
Tungsten 0.0154
Platinum 0.0019
Rhodium 0.000325
AuIn₃ 0.00005

Compound	Transition temperature (K)
High-temperature
Hg_0.8Tl_0.2Ba₂Ca₂Cu₃O_8.33	138
HgBa₂Ca₂Cu₃O₈	133-135
Tl₂Ba₂Ca₂Cu₃O₁₀	125-127
HgBa₂Ca₃Cu₄O₁₀⁺	125-126
HgBa₂Ca_1-xSr_xCu₂O₆⁺	123-125
HgBa₂CaCu₂O₆	123
(Tl_0.5Pb_0.5)Sr₂Ca₂Cu₃O₉	120
TlBa₂Ca₃Cu₄O₁₁	112
Tl₂Ba₂Ca₃Cu₄O₁₂	112
TlBa₂Ca₂Cu₃O₉⁺	110
Ca_1-xSr_xCuO₂	110
Bi₂Sr₂Ca₂Cu₃O₁₀	110
TlBa₂Ca₄Cu₅O₁₃	107
Tl₂Ba₂Ca₄Cu₅O₁₄	105
TlBa₂CaCu₂O₇	103
TmBa₂Cu₃O₇	101
Tl₂Ba₂CaCu₂O₈	99
HgBa₂CuO₄⁺	94-98
Tl₂Ba₂CuO₆	70
(Tl,Pb)(CO₃)Sr₄Cu₂O₇	70

Low-temperature
Niobium	9.25
Technetium	7.8
Lead	7.2
Vanadium	5.40
Lanthanum	4.9
Tantalum	4.47
Mercury	4.15
Tin	3.72
Indium	3.40
Thallium	1.70
Rhenium	1.697
Protactinium	1.4
Thorium	1.38
Aluminium	1.175
Gallium	1.10
Gadolinium	1.083
Molybdenum	0.915
Zinc	0.85
Osmium	0.66
Zirconium	0.61
Americium	0.6
Cadmium	0.517
Ruthenium	0.49
Titanium	0.40
Uranium	0.20
Hafnium	0.128
Iridium	0.1125
Lutetium	0.1
Beryllium	0.026
Tungsten	0.0154
Platinum	0.0019
Rhodium	0.000325
AuIn₃	0.00005