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Slovak research institute has developed a novel ultra-lightweight superconductor wire and is looking for partners for selling/licencing the technology

Summary

Profile Type
  • Technology offer
POD Reference
TOSK20230321011
Term of Validity
27 March 2023 - 26 March 2025
Company's Country
  • Slovakia
Type of partnership
  • Commercial agreement with technical assistance
Targeted Countries
  • All countries
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General information

Short Summary
This technology offer presents a novel technology for the production of ultralight superconductive wire based on magnesium diboride core stabilized with unique aluminum composite sheath has been developed.

Based on the commercial or suplier agreement, partners for selling/licencing the technology are sought.
Full Description
Two Slovak research institutes are public research institutions focused on developing new materials and technologies in electrical and mechanical engineerings. The offered superconductor is the common result of their coopertion and is aimed for applications particularly in the space program, aerospace area and energy industry, where low rotational and total weight of devices are desired.
Nowadays superconductor designs, i.g. NbTi, Nb3Sn as well as MgB2, use a sheath mostly based on Cu, Cu alloys and Cu metal matrix composites (MMC). Due to its high density, Cu, contributes heavily to the overall mass of the superconductive wire. Similarly the use of other sheath materials, i.g. niobium (Nb) or steel, also leads to the same effect. Consequently, even for a lightweight MgB2 core, technical solutions of superconductors which utilize Cu sheath are known.
The above-described drawbacks are largely eliminated by the novel superconductor with the MgB2 core and the sheath from Al based MMC. The principal idea lies in the fact that the superconductor sheath is formed by deformation in the form of a tube. The microstructure of sheath consists of near- or sub-micrometre Al grains, stabilized and strengthened by a small amount of homogeneously dispersed nanometric Al2O3 particles, which forms in situ in Al matrix.
Advantages and Innovations
The protected technology yields superconductor with significantly lower mass (at least 2.5 - 3 times less) than the standard solutions based on NbTi, Nb3Sn and MgB2 core with an outer copper (Cu) sheath; economically meaningful fabrication process which is feasible at a large scale; excellent combination of mechanical properties of the superconductor at room and cryogenic temperatures provided by the sheath; good superconducting electrical properties and thermal conductivity.
Stage of Development
  • Available for demonstration
Sustainable Development Goals
  • Goal 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure
IPR status
  • IPR applied but not yet granted
IPR notes
IPR for "SUPERCONDUCTOR WIRE BASED ON MgB2 CORE WITH AI BASED SHEATH AND METHOD OF ITS PRODUCTION" are protected by: EP18737410.3A ; US Patent 11,551,832; SK Patent 289044
Validation in several countries is underway
Superconductor sheath material is protected by SK trademark

Partner Sought

Expected Role of a Partner
The novel ultra-lightweight superconductor can be preferably used for technical solutions with moving and rotating parts, for example in transport and power applications, superconducting wind generators, in aerospace, train engines, in superconducting levitation drives, in space program as active shielding of human crew from cosmic radiation.

The institute is looking for an industrial partner for selling / licensing the technology.
Type and Size of Partner
  • Other
  • R&D Institution
  • SME <=10
  • SME 50 - 249
  • SME 11-49
  • Big company
  • University
Type of partnership
  • Commercial agreement with technical assistance

Dissemination

Technology keywords
  • 02011005 - Space Exploration and Technology
  • 001001004 - Electronic engineering
Market keywords
  • 08005 - Other Industrial Products (not elsewhere classified)
  • 06007001 - Other energy production
Targeted countries
  • All countries