Science-Technology
See other Science-Technology Articles
Title: New state of matter discovered: 'Jahn-Teller metal' breakthrough could lead to new generation of trains, cars and gadgets
Source:
Daily Mail Online
URL Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencet ... ation-trains-cars-gadgets.html
Published: May 15, 2015
Author: Jonathan O'Callaghan
Post Date: 2015-05-15 18:13:02 by cranky
Keywords: None
Views: 2390
Comments: 4
You might know of the three ‘classical’ states of matter - solid, liquid and gas - but there are actually more than 15 in total. And now one more has been added to the list, displaying unique properties not seen in the other states. It is named the Jahn-Teller metal, and it could help create more efficient and faster electrical systems thanks to its unique properties. Scientists in Japan have discovered a new state of matter. The Jahn-Teller metal is able to change from an insulator to a conductor. It joins more than 15 other states of matter that are known of, and it could help create better superconductors. Shown is a stock image of a superconductor levitating above a magnet The discovery came from a team of scientists led by Dr Kosmas Prassides at the Tohoku University in Japan. While solid, liquids, gases and plasmas occur natural in nature, the other states of matter must largely be created in the laboratory. The artificial states include superfluids - which can flow without friction - and superconductors, which have zero electrical resistance. In the latest research, researchers took a crystalline arrangement of carbon-60 molecules - known as ‘buckyballs’ - and inserted atoms of rubidium. When the pressure between the buckyballs was increased by adding more rubidium atoms, the material changed from being an insulator into a superconductor. In so doing, they created a material that had the properties of an insulator, superconductor, metal and a magnet, all in one. The change from an insulator to a conductor is known as the Jahn-Teller effect, and it was first predicted in 1937 - but had not been found until now - earning the new material the moniker of Jahn-Teller metal. ‘The surprising thing about this metal-insulator transition is that it involves an intermediate state never seen before,’ wrote Hamish Johnston, editor of physicsworld.com. And it is this intermediate state that has scientists interested, as it seems that just applying pressure can turn the material from an insulator into a conductor. In the latest research, researchers took a crystalline arrange of carbon-60 molecules - known as ‘buckyballs’ (illustrated) - and inserted atoms of rubidium.In so doing, they created a material that had the properties of an insulator, superconductor, metal and a magnet, all in one If the process can be replicated in other materials, it could make superconductors much more accessible - and useful. Uses for superconductors include fast digital circuits and magnetic levitation (maglev) trains. Pictured is a maglev train in Shanghai, China Superconductors are incredibly useful because they efficiently transport electric charge with zero resistance. Regular conductors like copper and aluminium lose energy to resistance when they transport electricity, about six per cent in your home, according to Business Insider. And because superconductors have this ability, they also make almost perfect magnets, and can thus be used to make powerful superconducting electromagnets. Magnetic levitation (maglev) trains make use of this by having superconducting magnetic coils on their base, which causes them to ‘float’ on a track. But while superconductors have this ability, the drawback at the moment is that they have to be cooled to extremely low temperatures, approaching -243.2°C (-405.8°F). The reason why a material needs to be cold for superconductivity to occur is poorly understood. But the Jahn-Teller metal suggests that materials can be turned into superconductors without having to chill them to extreme temperatures, and instead allow superconductivity to occur at -135°C (-211°F). If the process can be replicated in other materials, it could make superconductors much more accessible - and useful. This could allow for wider applications, possibly making electrical devices in your home and elsewhere more energy efficient. It is hoped that the Jahn-Teller metal could be this 'holy grail' of superconductors. The research was published in the journal Science Advances.
Solid Photonic matter Supersolid Liquid Quantum Hall state Quantum spin liquid Gas Bose-Einstein condensate String-net liquid Plasma Fermionic condensate Supercritical liquid Colloids Superconductivity Dropleton Degenerate matter Superfluid Jahn-Teller metal 
Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread
Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/Latest
#1. To: cranky (#0)
Better than Reardon Metal! Woo Hoo!
There are two more: WashingtonDChotaire and FederalGovernmentOveReach; both are killers to human life while perpetuating alien forms of bureaucratized_ bullshit, that destroys all known life on Earth.
If the process can be replicated in other materials, it could make superconductors much more accessible - and useful. This is speculative blather. They are nowhere near any such products. Give it 20-30 years of research, maybe they come up with something.
Well we can be certain that the GOP/Tea Party will vote unanimously vote to defund any further research into this material.
Maybe... 
#2. To: cranky (#0)
You might know of the three ‘classical’ states of matter - solid, liquid and gas - but there are actually more than 15 in total.
#3. To: cranky (#0)
But the Jahn-Teller metal suggests that materials can be turned into superconductors without having to chill them to extreme temperatures, and instead allow superconductivity to occur at -135°C (-211°F).
#4. To: cranky (#0)
If it isn't mentioned in the Bible or Constitution, it doesn't really exist.
Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/Latest
[Home] [Headlines] [Latest Articles] [Latest Comments] [Post] [Mail] [Sign-in] [Setup] [Help] [Register]