The applications of superconducting materials have the potential to change our world, but descriptions of superconductivity in literature tend to be complex for non-physicists. This text provides an accessible account of superconductivity and its applications for an interdisciplinary readership. This book covers the characteristics of superconducting materials, particularly those with commercial applications, including MRI, MEG, high-field magnets, magnetometers, gradiometers, SQUID sensors and Josephson junctions. The applications and concepts are discussed at a level suitable for those with a basic background in physics, without using complex mathematics. This is a valuable reference text for researchers and practitioners working with devices made from superconducting materials. The text also acts as useful supplementary reading for courses related to superconductivity and superconducting materials.

This book presents the basics and applications of superconducting magnets. It explains the phenomenon of superconductivity, theories of superconductivity, type II superconductors and high-temperature cuprate superconductors. The main focus of the book is on the application to superconducting magnets to accelerators and fusion reactors and other applications of superconducting magnets. The thermal and electromagnetic stability criteria of the conductors and the present status of the fabrication techniques for future magnet applications are addressed. The book is based on the long experience of the author in studying superconducting materials, building magnets and numerous lectures delivered to scholars. A researcher and graduate student will enjoy reading the book to learn various aspects of magnet applications of superconductivity. The book provides the knowledge in the field of applied superconductivity in a comprehensive way.

With the increased interest in superconductivity applications through out the world and the necessity of obtaining a firmer understanding of the basic concepts of superconductivity, the editors of the In ternational Cryogenics Monograph series are extremely grateful for the opportunity to add Superconducting Materials to this series. This comprehensive review and summary of superconducting ma terials was originally prepared by the Russian authors in 1969 and has been specifically updated for this series. It is the most thorough review of the literature on this subject that has been made to date. Since advances in the development and use of new superconducting materials are largely associated with the general state and level in the development of the physical theory of superconductivity, the physical chemistry of metals, metallography, metal physics, tech nical physics, and manufacturing techniques, it is hoped that this monograph will provide the stimulus for further advances in all aspects of this exciting field. The editors express their appreciation to the authors, the translators, and Plenum Publishing Corporation for their assistance and continued interest in making this worthy addition to the series possible.

Superconductors offer high throughput with low electric losses and have the potential to transform the electric power grid. Transmission networks incorporating cables of this type could, for example, deliver more power and enable substantial energy savings. Superconductors in the Power Grid: Materials and Applications provides an overview of superconductors and their applications in power grids. Sections address the design and engineering of cable systems and fault current limiters and other emerging applications for superconductors in the power grid, as well as case studies of industrial applications of superconductors in the power grid. - Expert editor from highly respected US government-funded research centre - Unique focus on superconductors in the power grid - Comprehensive coverage

The discovery by J. G. Bednorz and K. A. Mtllier in 1986 that the superconducting state can exist in oxides at temperatures above 30 K stimulated research in the field of superconductivity and opened up a new field of research. Within a few years a large number of cuprate superconductors with transition temperatures well above the boiling point of liquid nitrogen have been found. The possibility of using liquid nitrogen as coolant re-stimulated interest in power applications of supercon ductivity. In this book an overview of the known high-Te superconductors and their physical properties is presented. Aspects related to conductor fabrication and high-current applications are emphasised. The material should be suitable for use in graduate level courses on superconductivity. Researchers in the field may profit from the large number of tables and references describing its status at the end of 1997. An introduction to high-To superconductivity must be based on the fundamental physical principles of normal-state electrical conductivity and the well-known characteristics of conventional superconductors. In Chapter 2 this background is provided. Crystal structures, anisotropic properties and general trends of the critical temperatures of the cuprate superconductors are described in Chapters 3 and 4. The processing of superconductor powders addressed in Chapter 5 affects considerably the current-carrying capacity of high-T. wires. In Chapter 6 several fabrication techniques for superconducting wires are described. In addition, the factors limiting the transport critical currents ofhigh-Te wires are discussed.

This book provides readers with a comprehensive overview of the science of superconducting materials. It serves as a fundamental information source on the actual techniques and methodologies involved in superconducting materials growth, characterization and processing. This book includes coverage of several categories of medium and high-temperature superconducting materials: cuprate oxides, borides, and iron-based chalcogenides and pnictides. Provides a single-source reference on superconducting materials growth, characterization and processing; Bridges the gap between materials science and applications of superconductors; Discusses several categories of superconducting materials such as cuprate oxides, borides, and iron-based chalcogenides and pnictides; Covers synthesis, characterization, and processing of superconducting materials, as well as the nanoengineering approach to tailor the properties of the used materials at the nanoscale level.

This text consists of 13 chapters each of them defining in depth the chapter subject and surveying recent developments in superconductivity. The main objective of the book is to summarise the recent advances in material science of high-Tc superconductors, specify their properties, processing, and applications.