Wine can help keep conversation _____1_____ at a dinner party. And now it looks like that wine may aid in materials science as well. Japanese researchers discovered that hot alcoholic beverages induce superconductivity in iron-based compounds.
These compounds can become superconducting by _____2_____ oxygen, but it takes months. Scientists have been searching for a way to speed that up.
So researchers at Japan’s National Institute for Materials Science decided to test the reaction with alcohol.
They put samples of the compounds in red and white wines, beer, sake, shochu— another Japanese alcohol—and whiskey. There were ____3____ water-ethanol mixtures.
The samples were heated to 70 degrees Celcius for 24 hours.
The water ethanol mixtures didn’t have _____4_____, but the drinks did induce superconductivity—red wine best of all.
The scientists speculate there may be particular elements in red wine that are replacing elements in the iron-based compounds.
It may be that wine speeds up the supply of oxygen into the samples.
The researchers say the next step is to analyze the beverages to figure out just what’s inducing superconductivity.
And maybe _____5_____ in the process.
【视听版科学小组荣誉出品】
flowing being exposed to controls of much of an effect sneak a sip
酒精饮料诱发超导性 在晚宴上,酒能使人侃侃而谈。而现在来看,酒也可能在材料科学方面派上用场。日本研究者发现热酒精饮料能诱发铁基化合物中的超导性能。这些化合物通过接触氧气而带有超导性,不过这需要几个月才能实现。科学家一直在研究一种可以加速这个过程的方法。所以日本国立材料科学研究所的研究员决定测试酒精的反应。 他们在红酒、白酒、啤酒、米酒、烧酒(日本的另一种酒)和威士忌中分别加入化合物样本。并且调配了水和乙醇的混合液作为对照,加入样本中。加热样本24小时,温度达到70摄氏度。水和乙醇混合液并没有产生多大的效果,但这些酒精饮料却的确能诱发超导性,红酒的效果最好。科学家推测红酒中可能含有特殊成分,能代替铁基化合物中的元素。 酒精可能使氧气更快地进入样本中。研究者称,下一步要对饮料进行分析,找出是什么物质诱发了超导性。而且在研究的时候喝上一小口也说不定。