Powdered platinum sheds all resistance

Platinum finally joins the ranks of superconductors after physicists found that it loses all electrical resistance when extremely cold, but only if it is in powdered form.

References:

König, R., A. Schindler, T. Herrmannsdörfer. 1999. Superconductivity of compacted platinum powder at very low temperatures. Physical Review Letters 82(May 31):4528.

Further Readings:

Peterson, I. 1997. Pinning down a superconductivity theory. Science News 151(June 7):351.

Weiss, P. 1998. Putting the squeeze in superconductors. Science News 154(Aug. 15):111.

Sources:

Thomas Hermannsdörfer
Universität Bayreuth
Physikalisches Institut
D-95440 Bayreuth
Germany

M. Brian Maple
University of California, San Diego
Department of Physics
9500 Gilman Drive
La Jolla, CA 92093-0319

From Science News, Vol. 155, No. 23, June 5, 1999, p. 357. Copyright © 1999, Science Service.

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