Scientists at the Argonne National Laboratory have created a new fundamental state of matter called superinsulators that open the way for a new generation of microelectronics and points to new directions of inquiry in condensed matter physics. Researchers fashioned a thin film of titanium nitride which they then chilled to near absolute zero. When they tried to pass a current through the material, its resistance suddenly increased by a factor of 100,000 once the temperature dropped below a certain threshold.
Superinsulators could eventually find their way into a number of products, including circuits, sensors and battery shields. When a battery is left exposed to air, the charge will eventually drain from it because the air is not a perfect insulator but if you have a superinsulator, then the battery will hold a charge forever says Argonne senior scientist Valerii Vinokur.
Scientists could eventually form superinsulators that would encapsulate superconducting wires, creating an optimally efficient electrical pathway with almost no energy lost as heat.
Photo: Photo: "Old Ray-O-Vac Batteries" by deanj Flickr Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic
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