Materials science challenges for high-temperature superconducting wire

Twenty years ago in a series of amazing discoveries it was found that a large family of ceramic cuprate materialsexhibited superconductivity at temperatures above, and in some cases well above, that of liquid nitrogen. Imaginations were energized by the thought of applications for zero-resistance conductors cooled with an inexpensive and readily availablecryogen. Early optimism, however, was soon tempered by the hard realities of these new materials: brittle ceramics are noteasily formed into long fl exible conductors; high current levels require near-perfect crystallinity; and – the downside of high transition temperature –performance drops rapidly in a magnetic fi eld. Despite these formidable obstacles, thousands of kilometres of high-temperature superconducting wire have now been manufactured for demonstrations of transmission cables, motors and other electrical power components. The question is whether the advantages of superconducting wire, such as effi ciency and compactness, can outweigh the disadvantage: cost.