High temperature superconducting composite wires

High temperature superconducting composite wires are fast emerging as a new advanced materials technology. Rapid progress has been made towards demons trating practical levels of superconducting performance across long lengths of high temperature superconducting composite wire fabricated using a manu facturable process. This progress has allowed a first generation of composi te win products that is driving commercialization of high temperature super conductivity. Recent developments have focused on basic materials science a nd processing advances to significantly broaden the market potential of hig h temperature superconductivity. These developments have focused on two bas ic processes, a powder-in-tube approach utilizing Bi2Sr2CanCun+1Oy (n=1,2) rind a coated-conductor approach utilizing Y1Ba2Cu3Ox. (C) 2000 Elsevier Sc ience Ltd. All rights reserved.