Superconductor Materials Lab

A superconductor materials lab is a small laboratory that makes bulk samples of candidate superconductors and tests whether they superconduct. This page lists what one holds, 115 items in seven groups, from the balance that weighs the powders to the reference samples that check the measurement.

What the lab does

Samples are made at ordinary pressure. Precursor powders are weighed on an analytical balance, ground, pressed into pellets and fired in a box furnace or a tube furnace under oxygen or argon. Intermetallic samples are arc melted or sealed in quartz ampoules.

A sample is then tested. Its resistance is measured against temperature by the four-probe method, in liquid nitrogen down to 77 K and lower in a closed-cycle cryostat. A coil set and a lock-in amplifier measure its AC magnetic susceptibility, and a small magnet placed over the cold sample shows whether it levitates. An X-ray diffractometer identifies the crystalline phases the sample contains.

How the list is organized

Each group is one part of the lab's work, and each line carries a quantity and a mark: core for what the lab cannot work without, useful for what most such labs have, optional for the rest. Instruments that cost more than a small lab can spend, such as a SQUID magnetometer or a full electron microscope, are listed as optional because small labs usually buy time on one at a university facility.

Where to buy

Example models, sellers and the prices they listed on 8 October 2026 are on the page this list was taken from, the equipment list of roomtsc lab.