NEWS OF THE WEEK
NEW SUPERCONDUCTORS:
Record 125 Κ achieved with thallium
Superconductive temperatures are
on the rise again—for real. After
being stalled in the low 90s (on the
Kelvin scale) for about a year, they
have darted up into the 105 to 125
Κ range in the past few weeks. As a
result, researchers say they are ex­
periencing "a return of the old
excitement/ 7
The latest high-flying results,
which have been confirmed over­
night in many laboratories, are due
to new superconducting materials
that contain thallium in addition to
calcium, barium, copper, and oxy­
gen. These materials appear to be
related to new superconductors that
contain bismuth along with calci­
um, strontium, copper, and oxygen.
Both thallium and bismuth lie at
the opposite end of the periodic
table from yttrium and the rare
earths (such as lanthanum and eu­
ropium), which previously seemed
to be required for high-temperature
superconductivity. The discovery of
rare-earth-free superconductors has
been like a shot of adrenaline: It's
given researchers a new sense of
the exciting possibilities that may
await them in unexplored regions
of the periodic table.
The thallium-containing super­
conductors were discovered at the
University of Arkansas by profes­
sor Allen M. Hermann, chairman
of the physics d e p a r t m e n t , and
chemist Zhengzhi Sheng. Hermann
says their material begins losing re­
sistance to electricity when cooled
below 125 K. It achieves full super­
conductivity (zero resistance) at
about 107 K.
Since Hermann and Sheng an­
nounced their results in mid-Feb­
ruary, many other groups have
confirmed the findings and even
surpassed them. For example, re­
searchers at IBM Almaden Research
Center in San Jose, Calif., announced
4 March 14, 1988 C&EN
on March 3 that they had achieved thallium-containing superconduc­
complete loss of electrical resistance tors suggest that they do not con­
at 125 Κ in a Tl-Ca-Ba-Cu-O phase. tain copper-oxygen chains, a fea­
This is the highest zero-resistance ture seen in the 1-2-3 materials, but
transition temperature (Tc) so far not in the more recent bismuth ma­
reported publicly for these com­ terials. According to Hermann, the
pounds. "preponderance of evidence" now
Raising the transition temperature suggests that copper-oxygen planes—
is important because the higher it not chains—are involved in super­
is, the more current the supercon­ conductivity.
ductor can carry at 77 K, the operat­ The Tl-Ca-Ba-Cu-O superconduc­
ing temperature achieved with liq­ tor is much easier to prepare than
uid nitrogen. the 1-2-3 materials, Hermann says.
Crystallographer Robert M. Ha- In making their original discovery,
zen's group at the Geophysical Lab­ coworker Sheng ground together a
oratory of the Carnegie Institution barium copper oxide such as BaCu3U4
of Washington (D.C.), working with with thallium oxide and calcium ox­
Hermann's group, identified two ide and pressed the mixture into a
new superconducting phases in the pellet. The pellet was heated in a
Arkansas material: Tl2CaBa2Cu20s+x furnace at 900 °C for 3 to 5 minutes
(the 2-1-2-2 phase) and Tl2Ca2Ba2- under flowing oxygen. Then it was
Cu3Oio+x (the 2-2-2-3 phase), where cooled to room temperature. An­
χ is less than 1. nealing—a time-consuming step re­
The IBM research workers—chem­ quired to make the rare-earth super­
ists Victor Y. Lee, Adel Nazzal, Ed­ conductors—isn't necessary for the
ward M. Engler, and physicist Stuart thallium materials.
S. P. Parkin—used a different pre­ Although the thallium supercon­
parative route and have progressed ductors are still very new, research-
further. According to Engler, they
have isolated the two phases and
determined that the 2-1-2-2 phase
has a Tc of 108 Κ and the 2-2-2-3
phase is responsible for the Tc of
125 K.
The crystal structure of each of
these phases has not been complete­
ly worked out yet. But according to
Hazen, preliminary results indicate
that the thallium structures are dif­
ferent from that of the well-known
//
l-2-3 // superconductors exemplified
by YBa2Cu3U7. The basic crystal unit
cell of the 2-1-2-2 phase has two
copper oxide planes, whereas the
2-2-2-3 phase has three such planes.
The two thallium structures are
closely related to each other and to
the bismuth superconductor, Hazen
tells C&EN.
The data accumulating on the Hermann: planes, not chains
ers think they are more stable than
the 1-2-3 compounds, which degrade
on standing in moist air.
The newest superconductors also
may turn out to be easier to process
into useful shapes. But precautions
will be necessary because thallium
is toxic: Its sulfide, for instance, is
used as rat poison.
The recent upheavals in super-
conductivity research caused by the
discovery of the bismuth and thal-
lium materials have stunned and
exhausted researchers, Engler says.
But "we're all happy," he adds, be-
cause "it has reminded us that this
field is still full of surprises." The
rise in transition temperature, com-
ing after many unsubstantiated re-
ports of superconductivity at much
higher temperatures, also has re-
kindled scientists' optimism that
room-temperature superconductiv-
ity is achievable, he says.
Ron Dagani, Washington
Business group blasts
changes in clean air bill
Business Roundtable has released a
detailed analysis of the costs that
would be imposed on industry by
amendments to the Clean Air Act
currently being considered by the
Senate. If enacted, the changes
would increase pollution control ex-
penses for industry at least $32 bil-
lion a year above present costs and
eliminate at least 300,000 to 600,000
U.S. jobs, according to the analysis.
The numbers are higher than, but
within the same range as, estimates
by the Congressional Research Ser-
vice (up to $28 billion) and the En-
v i r o n m e n t a l Protection Agency
(about $24 billion).
"This bill would be the most ex-
pensive environmental legislation
ever adopted and the least cost-
effective," says David M. Roderick,
chairman of Business Roundtable's
environmental task force and of USX
Corp. (Business Roundtable is an
association of some 200 major cor-
poration executives that acts on pub-
lic issues.) "If it were enacted, total
annual environmental control costs
would exceed $100 billion, about
2.5% of the gross national product."
Furthermore, notes Roderick, the bill
would add up to 8.6% to the cost of
many industrial products, harming Clean air changes would greatly
U.S. competitiveness in internation-
raise industry costs
al trade.
The bill, S. 1894, was introduced 1986 output Costs duo % of Output
$ Millions value to S. 1894 value
last year by Sen. George J. Mitchell
(D.-Me.) and reported for floor ac- Aluminum $ 2,000 $ 134 6.7%
production
tion by the Senate Committee on Chemicals 193,453 4337 2.2
Environment & Public Works last Copper & lead 1,460 126 8.6
November. Titled the "Clean Air smelting
Standards Attainment Act of 1987," Food 310,584 678 0.2
Iron & steel 33,000 818 2.5
the bill would put areas into com- Motor vehicle 179,195 1446 0.8
8
pliance that do not meet present production
standards, and provides for acid rain Petroleum 86,639 1029 1.2
production
control, new fuel and emissions Petroleum refining 141,511 9096 6.4
standards, and more rigorous con- & sales
trol of industrial releases of toxic Pulp & paper 75,423 1609 2.1
chemicals into the air. Business Rubber 21,224 566 2.7
Textiles 51,282 636 1.2
Roundtable believes the bill targets
Note: Comprises cost estimates only for 18 of the 43 provisions in
unachievable air quality goals. the proposed law. a Includes stationary sources only.
The association's analysis was pre- Source: Business Roundtable
pared by the consulting firm R. M.
Dowd & Co. of Washington D.C.
Only 21 of the 43 provisions in the from process plants would have to
bill were amenable to cost estimates. be cut to attain ozone standards.
It is impossible to quantify expenses Emissions of sulfur dioxide must be
such as increased costs of automo- controlled to meet the acid rain pro-
visions. And a variety of controls
biles to consumers, the report con-
cludes, because technology to meet would be needed to reduce releases,
the proposed standards doesn't ex- both controlled and accidental, of a
ist yet. class of hazardous chemicals. The
Estimated additional costs for the report estimates costs to the chemi-
chemical industry fall into three cal industry of $2 billion to $9.5
areas. Emissions of nitrogen oxides billion a year.
and volatile organic compounds David Hanson, Washington
Koppers under siege from British builder
In one of the latest moves in the mine, among other things, whether
corporate takeover game, Koppers a higher price is, or is not, war-
Co., Pittsburgh-based construction ranted/'
materials and chemicals producer, Wall Street, in its own way, is
has received a takeover bid from helping Koppers resist the offer by
investment group BNS Inc., led by keeping the company's stock price
British construction firm Beazer, for high. And Beazer's statement that
$45 per share, or $1.3 billion. Al- he may be willing to raise the price
though Koppers has not yet offi- is adding to Wall Street's resolve.
cially commented on the proposal, Following the offer by Beazer, the
it is evident that the company's man- price of Koppers' stock soared more
agement will resist the offer at that than $6.00 per share. Since that time
price. it has held in the $52 to $53V2 range,
In a letter to Koppers chairman about 15% more than the Beazer
Charles R. Pullin made public last offer price. Obviously, arbitrageurs
week, Brian C. Beazer, chairman and are expecting either an increase in
chief executive officer of the British the offer price from Beazer or a com-
firm, pointed out that he had at- peting offer from another company.
tempted to arrange meetings with The construction materials side
Pullin on three separate occasions. of Koppers probably interests Beazer
Beazer also stated in the letter, "It most. The British company has been
remains our desire to enter into a working to build a fully integrated
negotiated transaction and to deter- construction firm, acquiring in the
March 14, 1988 C&EN 5