ADVANCES IN PROCESSING AND CHARACTERIZING BI-BASED SUPERCONDUCTORS

Advances in the processing and fabrication of mono- and multifilament Bi-2223/2212 high-critical-temperature superconductors by the powder-i n-tube technique continue to bring these materials closer to commercia l applications. Consistently high a critical-current densities (J(c)) greater than 10(4) A/cm(2) have been achieved along the entire length of a 1,260 m long, 37 filament Bi-2223 tape. Pancake-shaped coils, tes t magnets, and a prototype transformer were fabricated and characteriz ed from such long conductors. Record high fields have been generated i n prototype test magnets operated as inserts in the high background fi elds of conventional low-critical-temperature magnets. With an eye tow ard commercialization, this article reviews some of the recent advance s in the processing and characterization of bismuth-based tapes.