Your Location Within Site:
HTS fundamental research
Industrial Research is at the forefront of international HTS[?] research, with a world-leading patent portfolio. In 2004 Industrial Research scientists were awarded a US patent for BSCCO (Bi-2223), the material used commercially for first generation (1G) HTS wire. A subsequent European patent was awarded in 2007. Advances in HTS offer improvements for the utility and efficacy of electricity networks through increased power stability and reliability.
Magnetic levitation over a high temperature superconductor — a demonstration of the Meissner effect.
The following projects are for fundamental research which is underpinning the application of superconductivity.
Spintronics
The emerging field of spin-polarised sensors has shown that exploiting the mobile electrons’ spin can improve the speed and functionality of electronic products. IRL is researching half-metals, Heussler intermetallics and ferromagnetic semiconductors that can potentially display nearly complete electronic spin polarisation at room temperature. Read more >>
Electronic and optical materials
Understanding the fundamental physics underlying materials that display strong electronic correlations is one of the most difficult problems in physics. Our focus is on materials that display magnetic instabilities and the coexistence of magnetic order and superconductivity. Read more >>
Superconductivity mechanism
Despite 20 years of research there is still no agreement concerning the electronic and magnetic properties of the high temperature superconducting cuprates. We are leading an international effort to understand these strongly correlated materials. Read more >>
The irony of spin
Iron is almost synonymous with magnetism and the discovery of superconductivity for temperatures as high as 56K (-217ºC) in layered iron-arsenic compounds has lead to a dramatic increase in research into iron compounds. We seek to understand and develop these new iron-based superconductors and related layered compounds. Read more >>