Ultraconductors are patented materials that are being developed for commercial applications. They are manufactured by the sequential processing of amorphous polar dielectric elastomers. They exhibit a set of anomalous magnetic and electrical properties, including very high electrical conductivity (> 1011 S / cm -1) and current densities (> 5 x 108 A / cm2) over a wide temperature range (1.8 to 700 K ). Additional properties established by experimental measurements include: the absence of measurable heat generation under high current; Thermal versus orders of magnitude of electrical conductivity in violation of the Wiedemann-Franz law; A transition similar to a jump to a resistive state in a critical current; A Seebek coefficient almost zero in the temperature range 87-233 K; No measurable resistance when ultra-conductive films are placed between tin superconducting electrodes at cryogenic temperatures.
The properties of the Ultraconductor are measured in discrete macromolecular structures that are formed over time after processing. In these thin films (1-100 microns), these structures, called "channels", are typically 1-2 microns in diameter, 10-1000 microns apart, and are strongly anisotropic on the Z axis. RTS, Inc was founded In 1993 to develop Ultraconductor ™ technology, after 12 years of research by a scientific team at the Polymer Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, led by Dr. Leonid Grigorov, Ph.D., Dc.S. There have been numerous articles in the peer-reviewed literature, 4 contracts of the United States government and a historical patent (US Patent # 5,777,292). To date 7 chemically distinct polymers have been used to create Ultraconductors, including olefin, acrylate, urethane and silicone based plastics. The total list of candidate polymers suitable for the process is believed to be in the hundreds. In films, these channels can be observed by various methods, including phase contrast optical microscope, Atomic Force Microscope (AFM), magnetic balance and simple electrical contact. The channel structures can be moved and manipulated in the polymer. Ultraconductor ™ films can be prepared on metal, glass or semiconductor media. The polymer is initially viscous (during processing). For practical application, the channels may be "blocked" in the polymer, by crosslinking or glass transition. Channel features are not affected by any of the modes.
A physics model of conducting structures has been developed, which fits well with experimental measurements, as well as a published theory. The next step in material development is to increase the percentage or "concentration" of conductive material. This will lead to films with a greater number of driving points (needed for interposers and other applications) and wire. The yarn is essentially extending a channel to indefinite length, and the technique has been demonstrated in principle. The connection to these conducting structures is made with a metal electrode, and when two channels are connected they are connected. From the engineering point of view, we expect the polymer to replace copper wire and HTS in many applications. It will be considerably lighter than copper, and will have less electrical resistance.