Abstract
IN a report prepared in this Laboratory some of the empirical observations concerning superconductivity which have been proposed in recent years were evaluated and modified using data obtained from the literature1. This work suggested that the initial materials to be examined should have the (β- tungsten structure, contain an element which itself was a good superconductor, and have an average valence electron-per-atom ratio of approximately 4.75. Since Nb3Sn, which has the highest superconducting transition temperature reported, meets the foregoing criteria, the many alloys which can be prepared by partial or total substitution for tin by elements with the same or nearly the same number of valence electrons as tin also will meet these criteria providing they retain the (β-tungsten structure. As a consequence, an attempt was made to prepare and examine alloys with the general formula Nb3SnxM1−x, where M is germanium, silicon, aluminium or antimony, and is in the same group or neighbouring group of the Periodic Table as tin.
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References
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GALASSO, F., BAYLES, B. & SOEHLE, S. Superconducting Alloys of the Nb3SnxM1−x Type. Nature 198, 984 (1963). https://doi.org/10.1038/198984a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/198984a0
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