Report: The Superconducting Materials group at the “Fira de Recerca en Directe” at CosmoCaixa
Members of our group, the Superconducting Materials and Large Scale Nanostructures (SUMAN) Group, were last week during four days at CosmoCaixa for the “Fira Recerca en Directe“, where research groups from different universities and research centers present their research to primary and secondary schools and families. Our group showed how to prepare superconducting thin films, and how levitating trains work.
“Our stand was a great success! We took seriously the interactive part, so students could participate, touch and see what was happening, and they loved it” says Juri Banchewski, PhD fellow at our group and one of the main responsibles of this event.
The stand offered the possibility of preparing superconducting thin films with the spin-coating technique, use the microscope to see the materials formed, learn about the Meissner effect and the interactions between magnets and superconducting materials, and, the star of the stand: get to see the superconducting levitating train!
“It was a great experience! We loved it, and if we can, we will go there next year! The kids were fascinated with what they saw!” adds Juri.
Great work done by our researchers that participated (Thanks Juri, Adrià, Artur, Max, Lavinia, Joffre, Jordi, Albert, Pedro, Adrià, Diana) ! And it’s always good to share the research with others.
About the Fira Recerca en Directe
The “Fira Recerca en Directe“ is organized by the PCB-Parc Científic de Barceona from the Universitat de Barcelona. It is an event that lasts 4 days and that counts with the participation of many research groups from Catalan Universites and Research Centers, who show their research to schools (during the first 3 days) and to the general public, specially kids and their parents (on the last day, Saturday). This year’s edition was the 17th!
The Superconducting Materials and Large Scale Nanostructures Group (SUMAN) at ICMAB, presented their research, for the first time, at this event. Their proposal to participate was the following:
NOUS MATERIALS – Trens que leviten, materials superconductors
Vols conèixer com investiguem la preparació de cintes superconductores per mètodes químics?
Superconducting Materials and Large Scale Nanostructures. Institut de Ciència de Materials de Barcelona (ICMAB – CSIC)
El nou paradigma energètic sostenible requereix que es desenvolupin noves tecnologies eficients i sostenibles, capaces d’acomodar la demanda i els requisits energètics mundials amb una aposta clara per les energies renovables. Dins d’aquestes tecnologies, els materials superconductors juguen un paper primordial. Moltes aplicacions es beneficiaran de les seves propietats úniques, com ara cables, motors, generadors d’energia i reactors de fusió. A la Fira presentarem la nostra recerca entorn de la preparació de cintes superconductores per mètodes químics, donat el seu gran potencial en termes de cost/prestacions que ofereixen.
A la Fira podràs posar a prova l’eficiència de la superconductivitat i la levitació magnètica i veuràs com aquestes propietats es poden aplicar per desenvolupar un tren levitant.
