Dynamic high pressure process for fabricating superconducting and permanent magnetic materials

A method for preparation of a class of fine grain solid materials having desirable superconducting or magnetic properties, the method comprising the steps of:

• providing a first planar layer of a first predetermined solid material, with the first layer having a first end and a second end spaced apart from one another and facing one another along the plane defining the first planar layer;
• providing a second planar layer comprising a second predetermined material in powder form, with the second layer having a first end and a second end spaced apart from one another and facing one another along the plane defining the second planar layer;
• providing a tnird planar layer of a tnird predetermined solid material, positioned so that the second layer lies between and is transversely contiguous with the first layer and the third layer, with the third layer having a first end and a second end spaced apart from one another and facing one another along the plane defining the third planar layer;
• providing an open container for the first, second and third planar layers, with the container having a first wall that is transversely contiguous with the third layer and is positioned so that the third layer lies between the second layer and the first container wall, and with the container having side walls that fit snugly against the first and second ends of each of the first and third planar layers of solid material, the container being composed of rigid material that resists deformation caused by deformation of adjacent material in the first layer or the third layer;
• providing a shock wave with velocity of propagation that is supersonic with respect to the speed of sound in each of the first, second and third predetermined materials;
• causing the shock wave to propagate substantially transversely through the first planar layer, the second planar layer and the third planar layer in that order so that the second layer of powder is compressed and heated to a temperature substantially as large as or greater than the highest melt temperature of the materials comprising the second layer, with an associated shock wave pressure of at least 50 kilobars;
• allowing the powder in the second planar layer to at least partially melt so that the powder particles coalesce into a material of higher material density than the initial material density of the second layer;
• and
• allowing excess thermal energy in this former powder layer to rapidly flow into the contiguous first and third planar layers of material, to achieve rapid cooling of the second layer to temperatures substantially the same as the temperature in the first and third layers.