One of the possible uses of Ultraconductors(tm) in wire form, which is likely in the next year or two, it to construct ambient temperature polymer permanent magnets.
Unlike conventional superconductors, which have electron pairs with opposite spins, Ultraconductors have parallel spins, analogous to those in permanent magnets. They have been tested in magnetic fields up to 9 Tesla, with no decrease in conductivity. That was the limit of the equipment. It is anticipated they may be capable of withstanding fields of 25 Tesla or higher. Should this prove out, Ultraconductors may be an alternative to Neodymium. They are made from atactic polymers, which are often discarded as waste material, as unlike isotactic polymers they are amorphous materials, without tensile strength. Since 1-2 micron diameter (1/50th the diameter of a human hair) conducting channels can carry 50 amperes, these materials may become an exciting source of powerful magnets. The Ultraconductor development program is winding back up after a three year hiatus due to lack of funds. See www.chavaenergy.com and www.ultraconductors.com for more information. (The latter site may be down for a day or so while the domain is being transferred to Chava). Mark --- On Tue, 5/19/09, Edmund Storms <stor...@ix.netcom.com> wrote: From: Edmund Storms <stor...@ix.netcom.com> Subject: [Vo]:China vs US To: "Vortex-L" <vortex-l@eskimo.com> Cc: "Edmund Storms" <stor...@ix.netcom.com> Date: Tuesday, May 19, 2009, 12:40 PM As much as I hate to agree with Grok's basic attitude toward capitalism, I would like to suggest that several decisions, based in the rules of capitalism, will eventually lead to the total destruction of this approach, at least in the form practiced by the US. The evidence can be most clearly seen in the fact that China has now captured 95% of the world's supply of the rare earth elements. This is important because modern technology is uniquely dependent on these elements. For example, super strong magnets cannot be made without neodymium. In 1985, farsighted people in the Chinese government saw the growing importance of these elements and set out to insure a good supply for their country. At the same time, the US companies allowed the supply available the US to slowly decrease to near zero, including selling the ability to process the materials to the Chinese, in order to make an immediate profit. As a result, we are now dependent on other countries for these essential elements just like we became dependent on other countries for oil. However, this time, no substitutes exist. The difference in approach between the US and the Chinese rests on farsighted people making long range decisions regardless of immediate profit, in the latter case. In contrast, the US makes decisions based on making a profit in a short time. As even a cursory experience with the media demonstrates, the US lives in a world of illusion created by the need of companies to make an immediate and growing profit. We were encouraged to go into debt to buy things. This advice had the easily predicted consequences. Now we are encouraged to believe that Obama can fix the mess if we would only spend more, with the government taking up the slack. This belief contains just as much illusion as the belief that personal debt would have no consequences. In other words, the US keeps looking only a few quarters into the future while the Chinese are planning for decades. We seek to win isolated battles at great cost in countries that have no importance to our survival while the Chinese intend to win the economic war of the future. I don't know if any of you play GO, the great Chinese game. If you do, you can see how this game is being played out on the world stage by China. Bush played poker and lost. Now Obama is playing Chess and is also losing. Meanwhile, we have to stand back and watch our country being brought down by short-sighted ignorance. Ed
