Comparison of Type – I and Type – II Superconductors

In this article, we are going to learn about Type-I superconductors, and Type-II superconductors, Their advantages, disadvantages, and their applications. We are also going to look at the differences between the Type-I superconductors and Type-II superconductors. First, we will know what superconductors are. Superconductors are materials that exhibit the phenomenon of superconductivity when they are cooled below a critical temperature. They are the materials that obey the Meissner effect. These materials possess zero electrical resistance, exhibit perfect diamagnetism, and have high critical current density. Broadly, there are two categories of Superconductor namely, Type-I Superconductor and Type-II Superconductor. These types of Superconductors have their own advantages and disadvantages. There are various applications of Superconductors which include power transmission, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Maglev Trains, Superconducting Magnets, Quantum Computing, etc.

What is Type-I and Type-II Superconductors?

Type-I Superconductors

Type-I Superconductors are materials that show superconductivity at temperatures below a critical temperature. They exhibit perfect diamagnetism and conductivity. Heike Kamerlingh Onnes, a Dutch physicist first observed the phenomenon of superconductivity in 1911 in mercury. They are materials that show superconductivity at relatively low temperatures. Their transition temperatures are below 30K and are generally referred to as low-temperature superconductors. They generally consist of pure metals. They perfectly obey the Meissner effect. There is no effect of slight impurity on the superconductivity of type-I superconductors. They are used in various range of applications, like magnets, transformers, and medical imaging. Examples: Hg, Pb, Zn, etc.

Type-II Superconductors

are the materials which show superconductivity at temperatures above a critical temperature. They don’t exhibit perfect diamagnetism. American physicists John Bardeen, Leon Cooper, and John Schrieffer first observed the phenomenon of superconductivity in 1957 in niobium-germanium. They are materials which have relatively weaker magnetic fields than Type-I superconductors. They are generally referred to as High temperature superconductors. They consist of alloys and complex oxides of ceramics. They partly obey the Meissner effect. There is a great effect of slight impurity on superconductivity of type-II superconductors. Examples: NbTi, Nb3Sn, etc.

Comparison of Type – I and Type – II Superconductors

Type – I	Type – II
Type – I Superconductors exhibit single critical magnetic field.	Type – II Superconductors contains two critical magnetic fields.
Type – I Superconductors are completely diamagnetic.	Type – II Superconductors are not completely diamagnetic.
Type – I Superconductors are also referred to as Low-temperature Superconductors.	Type – II Superconductors are also referred to as High-temperature Superconductors.
The temperature typically ranges from 0K to 10K.	The temperature is typically greater than 10K.
Type – I Superconductors typically have a Low critical magnetic field which ranges from 0.0000049 to 1T.	Type – II Superconductors typically have a High critical magnetic field which is typically greater than 1T.
Type – I Superconductors perfectly obey the Meissner effect.	Type – II Superconductors partly obey the Meissner effect.
Type – I Superconductors is also termed as soft superconductors.	Type – II Superconductors are also termed hard superconductors.
In Type – I Superconductors there is not existence of mixed state.	In Type – II Superconductors there is existence of mixed state.
There is no effect of slight impurity on superconductivity of type – I superconductors.	There is great effect of slight impurity on superconductivity of type – II superconductors.
Type – I Superconductors generally consist of pure metals.	Type – II Superconductors consist of alloys and complex oxides of ceramics.
For Type-I superconductors, the transition from a superconducting state to a normal state happens very quickly and sharply due to the external magnetic field.	For Type-II superconductors, the transition from a superconducting state to a normal state due to the external magnetic field is gradually but not sharp and abrupt .
Examples: Hg, Pb, Zn, etc.	Examples: NbTi, Nb3Sn, etc.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Type – I Superconductors

Given Below are Some of the advantages and Disadvantages of Type – I Superconductors

Advantages of Type – I Superconductors

• Type – I superconductors exhibit superconductivity at relatively low temperatures.
• There is no effect of slight impurity on superconductivity.
• It obeys the Meissner effect.
• They are completely diamagnetic.
• They generally consist of metals.

Disadvantages of Type – I Superconductors

• They lose superconductivity properties when the magnetic field goes above a certain range.
• The transition from a superconducting state to a normal state happens very quickly and sharply due to the external magnetic field.
• They are not completely diamagnetic.
• They are less versatile than the Type – II superconductors.
• They have low critical magnetic fields.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Type – II Superconductors

Given Below are Some of the advantages and Disadvantages of Type – II Superconductors

Advantages of Type – II Superconductors

• They exhibit superconductivity at higher temperatures than Type-I superconductors.
• The capacity to carry current of Type-II superconductors is higher than that of type-I superconductors.
• They are useful in high-speed computing, helping in faster data transmission.
• Type-II superconductors have higher critical temperature and higher critical fields than type-I superconductors.
• They are composed of a mixture of metals.

Disadvantages of Type – II Superconductors

• There is great effect of slight impurity on superconductivity of type – II superconductors.
• Type – II Superconductors are not completely diamagnetic.
• They partly obey the Meissner effect.
• They are sensitive to changes in temperature and magnetic field strength.
• There is existence of mixed state in Type-II superconductors.

Application of Type – I Superconductors

The applications of Type – I Superconductors are following

• Magnetic Resonance Imaging(MRI) : Type – I Superconductors are used in MRI machines which are used to generate strong magnetic fields for detailed medical imaging.
• High Speed Trains: Type – I Superconductors are used in Maglev Trains, which help the train to float above the tracks, allowing it to levitate and move at high speeds.
• Superconducting Magnets : Type – I Superconductors are used to produce the superconducting magnets which are used in a variety of applications.
• Power Transmission :The superconducting cables made from type – I superconductors helps in transmitting electric power over large distances with minimal loss.
• Electromagnetic Sensors :Superconducting materials made from Type – I superconductors help in making good and highly sensitive sensors which help in detecting tiny magnetic fields.

Application of Type – II Superconductors

The applications of Type – II Superconductors are following

• Power Transmission: Cables made from Type – II superconductors are used for power transmission because of reduces power loss of superconducting cables. They reduce the power loss by 90%.
• Magnetics :Type-II Superconductors are very useful in the production of very large magnetic fields.These strong magnetic fields help in medical imaging such as MRI, CT, etc.
• Particle Accelerator :Type-II superconductors are used in the construction of superconducting magnets which helps in accelerating particle at high speed.
• Quantum Computing: Type-II superconductors plays an integral role in the development of superconducting qubits, which are the building blocks of quantum computers.
• Transportation: Superconducting magnets made from the Type-II superconductors are used to levitate and propel the transportation medium above the track, resulting in less friction and noise and increased speed.

Variation in Critical Magnetic Field With Temperature for Both types

Variation in Critical Magnetic Field With Temperature for Both types

Given Below is the Graph of the Variation of the Critical Magnetic Field with the Temperatures for Both Types of superconductors.

Conclusion

In conclusion, this article provides a in-depth exploration of Type-I superconductors and Type-II superconductors. This article gives a comprehensive comparison between the Type-I Superconductors and Type-II Superconductors. In this article we gone Through type-I and Type-II Semiconductor, We have seen there Comparison, their advantages, Disadvantages and their Applications.

FAQs on Comparison of Type – I and Type – II Superconductors

What is transition temperature ?

The temperature at which a material changes it state from a normal state to a superconductor state is called transition temperature.

Define superconductivity ?

Superconductivity is defined as the phenomenon of losing the electrical resistance absolutely to zero when cooled below a critical temperature.

Define Superconductors ?

The materials which exhibit the superconductivity phenomenon are known as superconductors.