Superconductive compounds and process for producing said compounds

Abstract: Manganese based superconductive compounds and processes for producing such compounds.

Description: The present invention relates to superconductive compounds which show superconductive characteristics in multiple phases at temperatures ranging from approximately 87 K to 310 K, and to a process for the production of said compounds. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The recent discovery of high transition temperature superconductors represents a possible technological revolution and has attracted the interest of scientists from around the world. These new materials are ceramics, made from metal oxides. During the past two years, many studies have been reported following the discovery of the efficacy of La-Ba-Cu-O materials. This system has been extensively analyzed and has a transition temperature around 30 K. Subsequently a Y-Ba-Cu-O material having a 90 K transition temperature was obtained. Many other 90 K superconducting materials have been obtained substituting a rare earth element for the yttrium. From X-Ray studies the crystallography of these 90 K compounds is well known. These superconductors (R-Ba-Cu-O, R=Y, rare earth) have been called 1,2,3 compounds because of their stoichiometry and present an orthorhombic unit cell, which can be visualized as a stacking of three perovskites. Compounds based on bismuth (Bi-Sr-Cu-O) which show superconductive characteristics with transition temperatures in the range from 90 K to 120 K have also been reported. The bismuth-based compounds have been modified by adding calcium, producing superconductive ceramic compounds of the type Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O. From the point of view of possible applications of these materials, it is important to emphasize that they are superconductors above the liquid nitrogen temperature. However, an increase in their transition temperature widens technological possibilities even more. As it can be inferred from the above, the technology developed so far is greatly limited by the fact that, in order to achieve the phenomenon of superconductivity, it is necessary to cool the materials by means of liquid nitrogen, which represents a serious limitation as to the possibility of using such materials for practical applications. Hence, ongoing research has focused on the development of superconductive materials which can operate efficiently at higher temperatures, ideally at ambient temperatures. All of these ceramic materials are produced through solid state reactions of appropriate amounts of the original oxides. Nevertheless, what determines the quality and characteristics of the products , other than their composition, are the times, temperatures and conditions involved in each step of the process, as well as the number of times the steps are repeated. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides superconductive compounds with new compositions, based on metal oxides, which present higher superconducting transition temperatures, as well as a process for obtaining the same. The present invention also provides a process for producing such compounds, which process consists essentially of a solid state reaction with specific times, temperatures and oxidation conditions, which determine the characteristics of the compounds. In addition, our new compounds present optical characteristics different from the already well-known 90 K superconductors. A primary object of this invention is to provide new compositions of manganese-based compounds which consist of Mn, Cu, O, and one or more alkaline earth metal selected from the group consisting of Ca, Ba and Sr, and which present superconducting transition temperatures in the range of from 87 K to 310 K, approximately. Another object is to provide a process for producing these new compounds, specifying the parameters which insure the reproducibility of the results. The compounds are obtained by mixing powders of manganese oxide, strontium carbonate and copper oxide. It has been found that the use of these particular components results in compounds which present superconducting transition temperatures in the range from 87 K to 310 K, approximately. It is important to note that in these new stoichiometries the type of basic components is different from those known in the art. The process for producing the above-mentioned compounds comprises first mixing appropriate amounts of the original components and then pressing the mixture to form pellets. More specifically, said process comprises : a) mixing powders of Mn 2 O 3 , SrCO 3 , and CuO ; b) subjecting said mixture to a pressure of at least 10kg/cm 2 , to form powder pellets ; c) heating the pellets by raising the temperature stepwise from 600 to 850°C, each temperature rise occuring at time intervals of 10 to 30 hours ; d) grinding and calcinating the pellets, through repetition of heating and regrinding ; e) adding potassium nitrate to the ground pellets, and grinding the mixture ; f) pressing the mixture into pellets and heating at 900°C for about 12 hours. In one example, the pressed powders ure subjected to the following heat treatment: Temperature °C Time (hours) 600 14 800 22 850 25 Thereafter, the pellets are ground to a fine powder and reheated for 27 hours at 800°C. The process is repeated at 850°C, for the same period of time. Afterwards, the materials are reground and reheated to 900°C. for 12 hours. The last step is repeated once more. Potassium nitrate is then added to the powder mixture and mixed thoroughly. Finally, the powders are pressed into pellets and reheated at 900°C, for 12 hours. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 shows a resistance vs. temperature plot of a typical manganese-based sample of the present invention, showing a resistance drop temperature at 310 K, and other resistance drop to zero at a temperature of 87 K. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION As mentioned in the above summary, powders of Mn 2 O 3 , SrCO 3 and CuO of high purity are mixed, for example, in the proportion 2:2:3. They are ground until homogeneity is reached and a grain size of several microns is obtained. A pressed powder pellet of 1 cm in diameter and 0.5 cm thick is prepared with a pressure of 10 Kg/cm 2 . The resulting pellet is heated to a temperature of 600°C for approximately 14 hours. The temperature is then raised to a value of 800°C, and maintained approximately 22 hours. The temperature of the pellet is increased to 850°C and maintained for approximately 25 hours. The compound obtained is a solid compact, blackish (bluish black) pellet. The pellet is ground and calcinated in the following sequence: Temperature °C Time (hours) 800 27 (reground) 850 27 (reground) 900 12 (reground) 900 12 (reground) Thereafter, KNO 3 is added to the powder mixture in an amount of 10% by weight of the powders, and the mixture is ground until homogeneity is reached. The powder is pressed into pellets which are heated at 900°C for approximately 12 hours. The variation of the resistance vs. temperature of the compound is measured. Figure 1 shows a typical plot of resistance vs. temperature of the compound prepared in this way. Cycling the temperature of the compound between ambient temperature and 4.2K proves that these behaviors are not affected by the temperature changes. Preparation of the samples made following this process was repeated several times, showing the same behavior. As it is well known, the superconducting state is characterized by zero resistance measurement within the experimental precision. In this case, the resistance measurements were made by the usual fourpoint-probe technique in different configurations using silver point contacts. While the principles and general procedures of the invention have been described according to one preferred embodiment, it will immediately be obvious to those who are skilled in the art that many changes and modifications may be made, without departing from the scope of this invention as set forth in the appended claims. The appended claims are therefore intended to cover and embrace such modifications.

Claims: Claims for the following Contracting States : BE, DE, FR, GB, IT, NL, SE A Ceramic superconductive compound, based on metal oxides, characterized in that it consists of manganese, copper, oxygen, and of one or more elements (A) selected from the group of calcium, barium and strontium, wherein the ratio Mn:(A):Cu, is of 4:2:3, and in that it has a superconducting transition temperature range between about 87 K and 310 K. A process for preparing a ceramic superconductive compound, based on metal oxides, said process comprising : a) mixing powders of Mn2O3, SrCO3, and CuO in the proportion 2:2:3; b) subjecting said mixture to a pressure of at least 10kg/cm2, to form powder pellets ; c) heating the pellets by raising the temperature stepwise from 600 to 850°C, each temperature rise occurring at time intervals of 10 to 30 hours ; d) grinding and calcinating the pellets, through repetition of heating and regrinding ; e) adding potassium nitrate to the ground pellets, and grinding the mixture ; f) pressing the mixture into pellets and heating at 900°C for about 12 hours. A ceramic superconductive compound, obtainable by the process of claim 2. Claims for the following Contracting State : ES A process for preparing a ceramic superconductive compound, based on metal oxides, characterized in that one prepares a superconductive compound consisting of manganese, copper, oxygen, and of one or more elements (A) selected from the group of calcium, barium and strontium, wherein the ratio Mn:(A):Cu, is of 4:2:3, and having a superconducting transition temperature range between about 87 K and 310 K. A process for preparing a ceramic superconductive compound, based on metal oxides according to claim 1, characterized in that said process comprises : a) mixing powders of Mn2O3, SrCO3, and CuO in the proportion 2:2:3; b) subjecting said mixture to a pressure of at least 10kg/cm2, to form powder pellets ; c) heating the pellets by raising the temperature stepwise from 600 to 850°C, each temperature rise occurring at time intervals of 10 to 30 hours ; d) grinding and calcinating the pellets, through repetition of heating and regrinding ; e) adding potassium nitrate to the ground pellets, and grinding the mixture ; f) pressing the mixture into pellets and heating at 900°C for about 12 hours.

Inventors: GALVAN CAVAZOS RAMON, GALVAN CAVAZOS, RAMON
Applicants: GALVAN CAVAZOS RAMON, GALVAN CAVAZOS, RAMON
Application year: 1990
Main classification: C04B35
IPC codes: H01L39, C04B35