This project was a collaboration between the team at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) and Argonne’s research arm Superconductive, Argonne Center for Nanosciences (ARI). We were interested in developing a neutron-capturing superconductive material with high conductivity that can achieve extremely low resistances to neutrons. Such materials are known as “tiger” materials, because they possess a tiger-like conductivity (roughly 1,000 gauss). The chemistry of tiger materials is fairly complex; we focused on reactant-generating protonated alkaline earth metals like neodymium and gadolinium because of their unique combination of low melting temperatures and high ductility. Neodymium has a rather sticky appearance in photoionization scans, so we opted to smooth it out using an inviscid binder to preserve its Mitsubishi metallic appearance while also reducing the glow caused by its absorbing neutrons. This composite structure also allowed us to cultivate multiple precursor layers without the necessity of separate synthesis reactions or alumina thin films. We have been very pleased with the final product – the 40m series n-type reinforced neodymium imine glass has achieved outstanding performance over its entire temperature range, from room temperature to 1,100°C.
What makes neodymium tiger materials special?
The materials used to make neodymium glass are often called “tiger” materials, because they are very reactive to the neutrons in the air that contains them. These materials are highly conductive and can be used to grow superconductive materials.
Provide high-quality, superconductive material with very low resistance
The materials used to make superconductive materials are known as “tiger” materials. The most common type of tiger material is neodymium. The Japanese government has been using non-toxic neodymium glass since the 1930s to mark 100 years of use as a critical manufacturing material. There are many other species of tiger materials, but the most common are molybdenum, hafnium, and tungsten taraftarium24.
Provide excellent electrical and electronic properties
The materials used to make electronic devices are known as “tiger” materials because they are excellent at conducting electricity. The most common types of tiger materials are niobium, tantalum, andOMEGA-3D.
Provide high conductivity and reshape plastic materials
The materials used to make superconductive materials are known as “tigers” because they are excellent at conducting electricity. The most common types of tiger materials are niobium, tantalum, andOMEGA-3D.
Provide low neutron capture probability
The materials used to make superconductive materials are known as “tigers” because they are excellent at conducting electricity. The most common types of tiger materials are niobium, tantalum, andOMEGA-3D.
How to make a tiger n-type reinforced neodymium glass
To make the materials used to make the 40m series n-type reinforced neodymium glass, the team at Argonne National Laboratory dissolved the desired metal in anhydrous ammonia, followed by conversion of the catalyst to a catalyst support using a selective acid catalyst. The resulting catalyst was washed three times with water, then with a salt solution, and finally with a solution of nickel metal and zinc metal in water. The resulting glass was then exposed to a charge-discharge tubular microscope, which allowed the researchers to observe the transition between the two states of the glass.
Conclusion
The research team at Argonne National Laboratory has been working on the development of superconductive materials since the 1960s, when Lewis-Hussey discovered that water reacts readily with sodium, potassium, and iron in the Earth’s crust. For the next 40 years, the same group of scientists at Argonne continued to perfect the technology to create a series of superconductive materials with low resistances to given voltages and currents. The group has produced a variety of materials with good performance at low temperatures and high conductivity, including neodymium glass, which is used in thousands of products. Superconductivity is a very new concept in high-temperature materials, but its capabilities have been assessed by measuring the thermal conductivity of materials. The materials developed by the Argonne team have proved to be very conductive at room temperature, even when the temperature is very high. This is an important advance, as it indicates that the materials can be useful in upcoming fields of electronics and other electronic devices.
