Preface

The now more than 100-year-long history of superconductivity started with the discovery
of the phenomenon by H. Kammerlingh Onnes in 1911 at the University of Leiden, The
Netherlands. The discovery of J.G. Bednorz and K.A. Müller in 1986 that the superconduct-
ing state can exist in complex oxides above 30 K revitalized the field of superconductivity.
This breakthrough started a race to find cuprate high-Tc superconductors with higher and
higher critical temperatures. As early as the following year, YBa2 Cu3 O7−x , the first super-
conductor with a critical temperature above 77 K, the boiling point of liquid nitrogen, was
discovered. Today a large number of cuprate high-Tc superconductors with critical temper-
atures well above this are known.
The discovery of J.G. Bednorz and K.A. Müller opened up the search for the pairing
mechanism in the cuprate high-Tc superconductors. Furthermore, the investigation of the
phase diagrams and the processing conditions of complex cuprate superconductors led to
progress in the materials science of complex multicomponent compounds. Last but not
least, the potential for reduced operation costs resulting from the use of liquid nitrogen as
coolant renewed interest in power applications of superconductivity.
This book provides an overview of the known cuprate- and iron-based high-Tc
superconductors and their physical properties. In addition, the special case of the
intermediate-temperature superconductor MgB2 is considered. Further aspects presented
are the synthesis of these materials, the manufacture of superconducting wires and
tapes, and the deposition of superconducting films. The book should be suitable for use
in graduate-level courses on superconductivity. A large number of figures, tables, and
references illustrate the status of research and development in the field in mid-2014.
In Chapter 1, the milestones in the history of superconductivity are briefly described. A
special aspect of importance is the development of the maximum known critical tempera-
tures in metals, oxides, molecular, and iron-based superconductors. The fundamental physi-
cal principles of normal-state electrical conductivity and the well-known characteristics of
metallic superconducting elements (Type I superconductors) are presented in Chapter 2.
Because the superconducting state in these materials can be destroyed by magnetic fields
as small as 100 mT, they are not suitable for magnet applications. The main results of the
Bardeen–Cooper–Schrieffer (BCS) theory, the microscopic quantum theory of supercon-
ductivity in conventional metallic superconductors, are briefly described in Chapter 3. In
addition, it is shown that superconductivity is a macroscopic quantum phenomenon, which
is reflected in flux quantization and tunneling effects. In Chapter 4, the properties of Type II
superconductors are presented. Because normal and superconducting regions can coexist in
xvi Preface

Type II metallic superconductors, the magnetic fields required to destroy superconductivity

can exceed 20 T. In contrast, the high-Tc materials are extreme Type II superconductors
with upper critical fields of the order of 100 T.
An overview of the most important families of cuprate high-Tc superconductors is given
in Chapter 5. The crystal structures of cuprate superconductors are described in Chapter
6. Empirical rules for the critical temperature of cuprate high-Tc superconductors are dis-
cussed in Chapter 7. The generic phase diagram of hole-doped cuprate superconductors
is presented in Chapter 8. Aspects to be discussed are how high-Tc superconductivity can
come into existence in an insulating antiferromagnetic parent compound, in which mobile
holes are doped into the CuO2 planes, the superconducting order parameter has d-wave
symmetry, and a pseudogap exists. In Chapters 9–13, the physical properties of the cuprate
high-Tc superconductors are described. Chapter 14 focuses on the synthesis of cuprate
superconductor powders and the manufacture of bulk material. In Chapter 15, the man-
ufacture and the performance of first- (Ag/Bi-2212 round wires and tapes, Ag/Bi-2223
tapes) and second-generation (biaxially textured RE-123 (where RE is yttrium or another
rare earth element) coated conductors) cuprate high-Tc superconductor wires and tapes
are discussed. Chapter 16 is devoted to cuprate high-Tc superconductor films deposited
on single-crystal substrates, and to the achieved critical temperatures and transport critical
current densities.
Chapter 17 provides an overview of the physical properties of MgB2 , the status of the
development of MgB2 wires and tapes, and the preparation of MgB2 films. An overview
of the recently discovered iron-based superconductors and their properties is provided in
Chapter 18.
Finally, an outlook on future research and development is given in Chapter 19. Future
research is expected to focus in two directions, namely the pairing mechanisms in cuprate
and iron-based superconductors, and the development of high-Tc superconductors and
MgB2 for magnet and power applications.

Rainer Wesche
 Acknowledgment

I wish to thank P. Bruzzone, the head of the superconductivity section of CRPP, for his
support and encouragement. The careful reviewing and many constructive suggestions
on the manuscript by J.F. Crawford were especially appreciated. The kind permission
from Springer Science+Business Media B.V. to reprint parts of my previous mono-
graph “High-Temperature Superconductors: Materials, Properties, and Applications”
(ISBN 0-7923-8386-9) published by Kluwer Academic Publishers in 1998 is gratefully
acknowledged.