High-performance YBCO-coated superconductor wires

This issue of MRS Bulletin provides and overview of the current status of research and development in the area of high-temperature superconductor (HTS) wires. High-temperature oxide superconductors, discovered in the late 1980s, are moving into the second generation of their development. The first generation relied on bismuth strontium calcium copper oxide, and the second generation is based on yttrium barium copper oxide, which has the potential to be less expensive and to perform better. The potential uses of HTS wires for electric power applications include underground transmission cables, oil-free transformers, superconducting magnetic-energy storage units, fault-current limiters, high-efficiency motors, and compact generators. Wires of 10-100 m in length can now be made, but material and processing issues must be solved before an optimized production scheme can be achieved. This issue covers a range of processing techniques using energetic beams, rolling, and laser and chemical methods to form wires with good superconducting properties.