Advanced 2212 BSCCO Superconductors

Phase I work wil focus on developing a stabilizer which surrounds the high temperature superconductor, with improved mechanical strength. To date, silver (Ag) has been the preferred stabilizer because it allows oxygen to easily penetrate during heat treatments and does not adversely react with the HTS material, decreasing the superconducting properties. However, the mechanical properties of annealed silver is much lower than that of the HTS ceramic material. This mechanical disparity can cause difficulty in processing and is especially important for successful fabrication of uniform long lengths of high Jc superconducting wire and tape. In addition to high current density and useful characteristics, especially mechanical handleability and strenghts, the cost of conductor will be key for many, if not most of the applications for high temperature operation. The fraction of expensive materials, such as silver will have to be reduced in order to provide the economic incentive and advantages provided by lower cost operation at higher temperatures.