High Temperature Superconductors

A selection. Sections: 1. Theory of High Tc Superconductivity. Some recent aspects of oxygen non stoichiometry and of mixed valency in High Tc superconducting cuprates (B. Raveau et al.). Critical currents in polycrystalline High Tc superconductors (G. Blatter, J. Rhyner). Critical currents, Meissner effect and flux creep in TmBa2Cu3Ox and YBa2Cu3Ox superconducting single crystals (V.V. Moshchalkov et al.). 2. Structure, Morphology, Chemical and Physical Properties. 2.1. Phase Equilibria, Thermodynamics, Crystallochemistry, Structure, Structural Interactions. On the system Bi-Sr-Cu-O (M.T. Casais et al.). 2.2 Microstructural Characterization. HRTEM observation on high Tc superconductors (S. Horiuchi et al.). 2.3. Conduction Mechanisms and Properties. Flux pinning and creep in epitaxial High Tc superconducting films (V.M. Pan et al.). Deformation, structure and properties of YBCO ceramics and single crystals (V.S. Bobrov et al.). 2.4 Structure-Microstructure-Property Relationships. High temperature diffractometry and critical current measurements of textured Bi-Pb-Sb-Sr-Ca-Cu-O thick films (B. Seebacher et al.). 2.5. Thermal and Optical Properties. Thermal conductivity and thermoelectric power of textural ceramics Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+y (V.B. Lazarev et al.). 3. Materials Elaboration and Processing Techniques. 3.1 Powders, Bulk Materials, Wires. Powder Preparation. Low temperature synthesis of 123 and 124 by sol-gel method under ambient atmosphere (H. Murakami et al.). 3.1.2. Forming Techniques, Solid State Synthesis and Sintering Processing-Property Relationships. Influence of the High Tc superconducting particles orientation during semi-wet extrusion on the critical current anisotropy (B.A. Glowacki et al.). Preparation and characterization of textured High-Tc superconducting ceramics by creep sintering (P. Regnier et al.). 3.1.3. Melt Processing and the Glass-Ceramics Route. Partial melting procedures for the fabrication of bulk YBCO superconductors (M.M. Carnasciali et al.). 3.2 Thin/Thick Films, Tapes and Single Crystals. 3.2.1. PVD, CVD, and Dip Coated Thin Films. Experimental results on High-Tc superconductors (T.H. Geballe et al.). 3.2.2. Thick Films/Tapes Produced by LPE, Enameling and Solid-Liquid Diffusion. 3.2.3. Single Crystals Growth from Melt. Melt-grown HTC-superconducting single crystals in the system T1-Ba-Ca-Cu-O (M. Kulakov, N. Kolesnikov). 4. High Tc Device Elaboration and Applicational Prospects. Electrotechnical applications of high Tc superconductors (P. Komarek). 5. National Overviews. Research activities and plans on High Tc superconductors in Italy (A. Barone).