Power applications of superconductors will be tremendously boosted if an effective method for magnetic flux immobilization is discovered. Here, we report the most efficient vortex-pinning mechanism reported so far which, in addition, is based on a low-cost chemical solution deposition technique. A dense array of defects in the superconducting matrix is induced in YBa(2)Cu(3)O(7-x)-BaZrO(3) nanocomposites where BaZrO(3) nanodots are randomly oriented. Non-coherent interfaces are the driving force for generating a new type of nanostructured superconductor. Angle-dependent critical-current measurements demonstrate that a strong and isotropic flux-pinning mechanism is extremely effective at high temperatures and high magnetic fields leading to high-temperature superconductors with record values of pinning force. The maximum vortex-pinning force achieved at 65 K, 78 GN m(-3), is 500% higher than that of the best low-temperature NbTi superconductors at 4.2 K and so a great wealth of high-field applications will be possible at high temperatures.

Chemical solution deposition (CSD) has recently emerged as a very competitive technique for obtaining epitaxial films of high quality with controlled nanostructure. In particular, the all-CSD approach is considered to be one of the most promising approaches for cost-effective production of second-generation superconducting wires. The trifluoroacetate (TFA) route is a very versatile route for achieving epitaxial YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 (YBCO) layers with high critical currents. In this work, recent advances towards improvement of the performance of several conductor architectures based on the YBCO TFA process will be presented. We show that new improved anhydrous TFA precursors allow a significant shortening of the pyrolysis time (∼1.5 h), and we have increased the total film thickness in a single deposition using polymeric additives. On the other hand, further understanding of the YBCO nucleation and growth process has allowed us to obtain a controlled microstructure and high critical currents (J c ≈ 4-5 MA cm −2 and I c ≈ 300 A cm −1 width at 77 K). The growth conditions (CSD) and post-processing conditions (sputtering and CSD) for the underlying oxide cap and buffer layers (CeO 2 , BaZrO 3 , SrTiO 3 , La 2 Zr 2 O 7 , (La, Sr)MnO 3 ) and of self-organized nanostructures (CeO 2 , BaZrO 3 ) deposited by CSD have been investigated to obtain high-quality interfaces in multilayered systems. Different single-crystal or metallic substrates (YSZ-IBAD (yttrium stabilized zirconia-ion beam assisted deposition) and Ni-RABiT (rolling assisted biaxial texturing)) have been investigated and long (≈10 m) CSD biaxially textured buffers (CeO 2 , La 2 Zr 2 O 7 ) have been grown on Ni-RABiT substrates using a reel-to-reel system. High-performance TFA-YBCO-coated conductors have been obtained on vacuum-based buffer layers (I c ≈ 140 A cm −1 width) and on CSD buffer layers grown on IBAD YSZ-SS (stainless steel) substrates. Finally, we report on recent analysis of the magnetic granularity and vortex pinning properties of TFA-YBCO conductors.

In order to deepen in the knowledge of the vibrational properties of 2-dimensional MoS 2 atomic layers, a complete and systematic Raman scattering analysis has been performed using both bulk single crystal MoS 2 samples and atomically thin MoS 2 layers. Raman spectra have been measured under non-resonant and resonant conditions using seven different excitation wavelengths from near-infrared (NIR) to ultraviolet (UV). These measurements have allowed to observe and identify 41 peaks, among which 22 have not been previously experimentally observed for this compound, characterizing the existence of different resonant excitation conditions for the different excitation wavelengths. This has also included the first analysis of resonant Raman spectra that are achieved using UV excitation conditions. In addition, the analysis of atomically thin MoS 2 layers has corroborated the higher potential of UV resonant Raman scattering measurements for the non destructive assessment of 2 dimensional MoS 2 samples. Analysis of the relative integral intensity of the additional first and second order peaks measured under UV resonant excitation conditions is proposed for the non destructive characterization of the thickness of the layers, complementing previous studies based on the changes of the peak frequencies.

Self-assembly of oxides as a bottom-up approach to functional nanostructures goes beyond the conventional nanostructure formation based on lithographic techniques. Particularly, chemical solution deposition (CSD) is an ex situ growth approach very promising for high throughput nanofabrication at low cost. Whereas strain engineering as a strategy to define nanostructures with tight control of size, shape and orientation has been widely used in metals and semiconductors, it has been rarely explored in the emergent field of functional complex oxides. Here we will show that thermodynamic modeling can be very useful to understand the principles controlling the growth of oxide nanostructures by CSD, and some attractive kinetic features will also be presented. The methodology of strain engineering is applied in a high degree of detail to form different sorts of nanostructures (nanodots, nanowires) of the oxide CeO2 with fluorite structure which then is used as a model system to identify the principles controlling self-assembly and self-organization in CSD grown oxides. We also present, more briefly, the application of these ideas to other oxides such as manganites or BaZrO3. We will show that the nucleation and growth steps are essentially understood and manipulated while the kinetic phenomena underlying the evolution of the self-organized networks are still less widely explored, even if very appealing effects have been already observed. Overall, our investigation based on a CSD approach has opened a new strategy towards a general use of self-assembly and self-organization which can now be widely spread to many functional oxide materials.