Superconducting nanoparticles of tin show shell effect

12 June 2010

A lot of researchers throughout globe are working on superconductors and all metals behave as superconductors at a minimum temperature, however the research focus is to increase this minimum temperature so that the superconductors are utilized for saving the real energy.

As the electrical resistance of any metal also depends on the size, and researchers have shown with scanning tunneling microscope that in case of tin spherical nanoparticles of a fixed size, the minimum temperature at which these nanoparticles show superconductivity could be increased significantly. Quantum effect is responsible for increase in the superconductivity of these magical size nanoparticles at room temperature and can intensify superconductivity up to 60%.

The phenomenon is also known as “Shell effects” that intensifies the superconductivity as quantum states changes the properties of nanoparticles unexpectedly and which lead to surprising consequences. These shell effects were predicted long back by physicists and according to this, the electrons at certain amount joins together to form Cooper pairs, which move without resistance throughout the material. Cooper pair forms only when the magical amount of electrons are available and it ultimately depend on the size of nanomaterials.

The research will provide new dimensions in the area of superconductivity and will open new perspective by developing targeted nanostructures of different other metals.

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