Superconductor technology: apparatus – material – process – High temperature devices – systems – apparatus – com- ponents,... – Superconducting layer and organic or free carbon layer
Reexamination Certificate
1999-11-09
2002-03-12
Kopec, Mark (Department: 1751)
Superconductor technology: apparatus, material, process
High temperature devices, systems, apparatus, com- ponents,...
Superconducting layer and organic or free carbon layer
C505S230000, C505S236000, C505S237000, C505S705000, C505S879000, C505S903000, C505S164000, C505S166000, C174S125100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06355599
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to radiation curable coating compositions for superconductors. More particularly, this invention relates to radiation curable coating compositions for superconducting wires that comprise a (meth)acrylate terminated urethane oligomer, an adhesion promoter and a (meth)acrylate reactive diluent.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Some materials when cooled below a certain critical temperature (Tc) become superconducting. At the particular Tc of the material, the electrons in the material that are responsible for conduction undergo a collective transition to an ordered state having many unique and remarkable properties. These properties include the loss of resistance to the flow of an electrical current, the appearance of unusual magnetic effects such as a large diamagnetism, substantial alteration of thermal properties and the occurrence of quantum effects otherwise observable only at the atomic and subatomic level.
Some twenty six of the metallic elements are know to be superconductors in their normal forms and another ten become superconductive under pressure or when prepared in the form of highly disordered thin films. Typically, such materials become superconductive only at very low temperatures, such as the boiling point of liquid helium, which is 4.2K. These superconductors have been called low temperature superconductors. However, it has recently been discovered that sintered materials comprising oxides of the elements of group IIa or IIIa of the periodic table can act as superconductors at higher temperatures, such as the temperature of boiling liquid nitrogen (77K). Superconductors based on such materials have been called high temperature superconductors.
There are many potential applications for superconductors, including, but not limited to, magnets for high energy physics applications, rotating machinery (i.e., synchronous generators, homopolar d-c machines), fusion magnets, magnetodynamic generators and magnets for nuclear magnetic resonance imaging, which is also called magnetic resonance imaging. Other applications include motors for marine propulsion and levitated trains for high speed transportation.
To effectively use superconductors in certain applications, superconducting wires must be made. Typically, superconducting wires are made with a metal sheath surrounding a superconducting core. Once a superconducting wire has been made, it is desirable to coat the wire with a dielectric composition. The coating, in addition to providing better structural integrity and protection from environmental stress, insulates wires from each other, particularly when wires are used in windings for motors, magnets and the like.
A coating for a superconducting wire must, however, possess certain properties. For example, the coating must be easy to apply and cure. Preferably, the coating and cure are carried out at ambient temperature. The coating composition should produce or contain a minimum amount of volatile organic compounds that may be emitted into the atmosphere, and the coating composition should be amenable to high speed production operations, and thus have high cure speeds. Lastly, the coating must be able to withstand the temperatures to which the superconducting wire will be subjected. Typically, a superconducting wire is cycled from ambient temperature to the Tc of the superconductor by introducing the superconductor into an environment having the temperature of the boiling point of liquid helium if the superconductor is a low temperature superconductor or the temperature of the boiling point of liquid nitrogen if the superconductor is a high temperature superconductor. Because the difference between the ambient temperature and the Tc is generally very large, the coating must be able to withstand such thermal cycling without detaching from the wire, cracking, splitting or failing in any other way that would affect the insulative or protective functions of the coating.
Thermal cycling can generate mechanical stress in coating compositions because of the differences in thermal expansion between the coating and the metal sheath and superconductor, and most organic polymers, the primary components of many coating compositions, are very brittle at the critical temperatures of both high and low temperature superconductors.
The ability of a coating to retain its integrity during such thermal cycling has been a nemesis to researchers attempting to find suitable coating compositions for superconducting wire. Further, thermally cured coating compositions generally are not preferred for high temperature superconductors because the temperatures required to cure the coatings can reduce the amount of current that can be carried in a wire before losing its superconductive properties. Thus, it is preferable to avoid heating superconductors.
The present invention provides an organic coating composition for superconducting wire that can be cured at ambient temperature and which will withstand the thermal cycling process that is necessary to reach the superconductor's critical temperature.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a free radical ultraviolet light radiation curable coating composition for superconducting wire that comprises at least one (meth)acrylate terminated urethane oligomer; at least one (meth)acrylate functional acidic adhesion promoter; at least one (meth)acrylate functionalized reactive diluent; and at least one free radical photoinitiator. The (meth)acrylate terminated urethane oligomer may be made from a polyol, a polyisocyanate, and a hydroxy functional (meth)acrylate compound.
The present coating compositions are radiation curable, particularly UV curable and are able to withstand repeated thermal cycling from ambient temperature to the critical temperature of the superconducting wire.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
This invention provides radiation curable coating compositions for superconductors. Preferably, the superconductors are in the shape of a wire. A superconducting wire has two major components: a superconducting core and a metal sheath that surrounds the superconducting core. In the case of low temperature superconducting wires, the superconducting core typically is composed of one of some 26 metallic elements in their normal form or alloys of certain metallic elements, which become superconductive above the boiling temperature of liquid helium. Metal sheaths for superconductors include, but are not limited to, copper, silver, iron, tin, aluminum, nickel, chromium, palladium, platinum, and gold and alloys thereof. The metal sheath of a low temperature superconducting wire is preferably made of copper. In contrast, high temperature superconducting wire is typically composed of a ceramic core of sintered oxides of elements of group IIa or IIIa of the periodic table such as (La, Ba)
2
CuO
4
, (La, Sr)
2
CuO
4
and Ba—Y—Cu type, and the metal sheath is preferably silver. It is contemplated that the present coating composition would be suitable for application to any type of material that shows superconductive properties and for which the coating has no detrimental effect on the superconductor. Thus, both low and high temperature superconductors of any composition are within the scope of the invention.
A coating for a superconducting wire is applied to the wire, including the core and sheath, and then cured. Ordinarily, a superconducting wire is coated with only one coating. However, it is possible to coat a superconducting wire with more than one coating having the same or different compositions. If the superconducting wire has more than one coating, each coating may be applied and then the coatings cured at once, or each coating or group of coatings can be applied and then cured followed by the application of another coating or group of coatings until the desired number of coatings has been applied. It is also contemplated that a coating composition may be used to bundle a group of superconducting wires. In other words, two or more superconducting wires may be bonded to each
Lapin Steven C.
Schmid Steven R.
Szum David M.
Zahora Edward P.
DSM Desotech Inc.
Kopec Mark
Pillsbury & Winthrop LLP
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