Critical temperatures of some simple metals:
Element | Tc (K) |
---|---|
Al | 1.20 |
Hg | 4.15 |
Mo | 0.92 |
Nb | 9.26 |
Pb | 7.19 |
Ta | 4.48 |
Ti | 0.39 |
V | 5.30 |
Zn | 0.88 |
Niobium and vanadium are type-II superconductors, while most other superconducting elements are type-I materials. Almost all compound and alloy superconductors are type-II materials.
The most commonly used conventional superconductor in applications is a niobium-titanium alloy - this is a type-II superconductor with a Tc of 11 K. The highest critical temperature so far achieved in a conventional superconductor was 39 K (-234 °C) in magnesium diboride.