High critical current densities (Jc) in thick films of the Y1Ba2Cu3O7–δ (YBCO, Tc ≈ 92 K) superconductor directly depend upon the types of nanoscale defects and their densities within the films. A major challenge for developing a viable wire technology is to introduce nanoscale defect structures into the YBCO grains of the thick film suitable for flux pinning and the tailoring of the superconducting properties to specific, application‐dependent, temperature and magnetic field conditions. Concurrently, the YBCO film needs to be integrated into a macroscopically defect‐free conductor in which the grain‐to‐grain connectivity maintains levels of inter‐grain Jc that are comparable to the intra‐grain Jc. That is, high critical current (Ic) YBCO coated conductors must contain engineered inhomogeneities on the nanoscale, while being homogeneous on the macroscale. An analysis is presented of the advances in high‐performance YBCO coated‐conductors using chemical solution deposition (CSD) based on metal trifluoroacetates and the subsequent processing to nano‐engineer the microstructure for tuneable superconducting wires. Multi‐scale structural, chemical, and electrical investigations of the CSD film processes, thick film development, key microstructural features, and wire properties are presented. Prospects for further development of much higher Ic wires for large‐scale, commercial application are discussed within the context of these recent advances.

Metalorganic deposition (MOD) is an attractive process for low-cost, high-rate deposition of YBa2Cu3O7– (YBCO) films on continuous lengths of biaxially textured metallic templates for second-generation (2G) high-temperature superconductor (HTS) wires.MOD of YBCO films involves four steps:precursor synthesis, coating, decomposition, and reaction.The final films must meet stringent requirements, including high critical current, uniformity across the width and along the length of the textured substrate, and excellent mechanical properties.Achieving these properties has required the development of a metalorganic precursor that produces an intermediate BaF2-based film, which in turn is converted to a high-quality YBCO film.Understanding and controlling the deposition of the metalorganic precursor and its conversion to YBCO are critical to reproducibly manufacturing uniform, high-performance, HTS wires required for commercial applications.This article reviews the issues that must be addressed in the use of MOD for low-cost YBCO film fabrication and summarizes the performance of 2G HTS wires prepared by this manufacturing process.

A low-temperature topotactic route is used to assemble metal-anion arrays within a perovskite host. Ion exchange between RbLaNb 2 O 7 and CuX 2 (X ) Cl, Br) results in a new set of layered copperoxyhalide perovskites, (CuX)LaNb 2 O 7 . Rietveld structural analysis of X-ray powder diffraction data confirms the formation of a two-dimensional copper-halide network in the double-layered perovskite interlayer. This new structure type contains unusual CuO 2 X 4 octahedra that corner-share with NbO 6 octahedra from the perovskite slab and edge-share with each other along all four equatorial edges. Magnetic susceptibility measurements show that both products exhibit antiferromagnetic transitions below 40 K. Additionally, these materials are found to be low-temperature phases, decomposing completely by 700°C. The synthetic approach described in this work is significant in that it demonstrates how host structures can be used as templates in the directed low-temperature assembly of extended metal-anion arrays.

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