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Science 31 March 2006:
Vol. 311. no. 5769, pp. 1911 - 1914
DOI: 10.1126/science.1124872
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Reports

High-Performance High-Tc Superconducting Wires

S. Kang,1 A. Goyal,1* J. Li,1 A. A. Gapud,1{dagger} P. M. Martin,1 L. Heatherly,1 J. R. Thompson,1,2 D. K. Christen,1 F. A. List,1 M. Paranthaman,1 D. F. Lee1

We demonstrated short segments of a superconducting wire that meets or exceeds performance requirements for many large-scale applications of high-temperature superconducting materials, especially those requiring a high supercurrent and/or a high engineering critical current density in applied magnetic fields. The performance requirements for these varied applications were met in 3-micrometer-thick YBa2Cu3O7-{delta} films epitaxially grown via pulsed laser ablation on rolling assisted biaxially textured substrates. Enhancements of the critical current in self-field as well as excellent retention of this current in high applied magnetic fields were achieved in the thick films via incorporation of a periodic array of extended columnar defects, composed of self-aligned nanodots of nonsuperconducting material extending through the entire thickness of the film. These columnar defects are highly effective in pinning the superconducting vortices or flux lines, thereby resulting in the substantially enhanced performance of this wire.

1 Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, USA.
2 Department of Physics, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA.

{dagger} Present address: Department of Physics, University of South Alabama, ILB 103, Mobile, AL 36688, USA.

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: goyala{at}ornl.gov

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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)